FIG. 4.

Two-dimensional (2D) versus three-dimensional (3D) culture. Cartoon of a cell cultured on a protein-coated (A) 2D surface and in a (B) 3D scaffold. The cell shape is determined by the distribution of integrins (purple) binding to the adhesion motif of an ECM protein (green), not drawn to scale. When cells are cultured on 2D surfaces, they tend to spread over the substrate and are flatter. In contrast, when cells are seeded within a 3D scaffold, they take on a spherical shape based on interactions with an ECM protein or peptide tethered or adsorbed to the scaffold. Three-dimensional culture better mimics (C) the in vivo neural stem cell (NSC) niche. (C) Reused from © 2013 Joshua S. Goldberg and Karen K. Hirschi. Originally published in Joshua S. Goldberg and Karen K. Hirschi (2013). A Vascular Perspective on Neurogenesis, Neural Stem Cells—New Perspectives, Dr. Luca Bonfanti (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-1069-9, InTech, DOI: 10.5772/54980. Available from: www.intechopen.com/books/neural-stem-cells-new-perspectives/a-vascular-perspective-on-neurogenesis under CC BY 3.0 license. Available from: 10.5772/54980.³⁹ Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/teb