A VERSATILE TECHNIQUE FOR PATTERNING BIOMOLECULES ONTO GLASS COVERSLIPS

A fast, inexpensive, and versatile technique for patterning the surfac e of glass coverslips with molecules of biological interest is describ ed. The technique combines photolithographic, silane-coupling, and pro tein adsorption procedures to pattern coverslips with amines, alkanes, and proteins with micrometer spatial resolution. The attachment of am ines and alkanes was verified using contact angle and X-ray photoelect ron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements. XPS results showed that amines a nd alkanes were attached in 1-4 nm thickness covering approximately 20 % and 45%, respectively, of the surface. Patterns of amines were visua lized using fluorescent staining, and patterns of proteins were detect ed immunochemically. Patterned coverslips were used to investigate adh esion and neurite outgrowth of mouse neuroblastoma (N1E-115) cells. Ce lls were examined on the following patterns: alkane-glass, protein-gla ss, amine-alkane, and amine-protein. Cell attachment and neurite outgr owth on patterned coverslips displayed the following preferences: lami nin, fibronectin, or collagen IV > amine or glass > alkane or bovine s erum albumin. This patterning method should be useful for studies of c ell-surface interactions, cell migration, nerve regeneration, and the formation of neural networks in vitro.