PATTERNED GLASS SURFACES DIRECT CELL-ADHESION AND PROCESS OUTGROWTH OF PRIMARY NEURONS OF THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

Glass surfaces were patterned with cell-adhesive regions of laminin ad hesive peptides YIGSR, RGD, and IKVAV, and cell-repulsive regions of p oly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The patterns were created by sputter-coati ng titanium and then gold onto glass coverslips through electron micro scope grids. Gold surfaces were modified with cysteine-terminated pept ides to have approximately 450 fmol/cm(2) of peptide incorporated on t he glass coverslips as determined with radiolabeled CGYIGSR. Amine-fun ctionalized glass coverslips were prepared using an amine-functionaliz ed silane and then further modified with PEG-aldehyde by a Schiff base reduction. All surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spe ctroscopy and water contact angles. Hippocampal neurons, plated from a serum-free medium, adhered preferentially to peptide-functionalized s urfaces over PEG-modified surfaces. Cell adhesion and neurite outgrowt h were limited to the peptide region, demonstrating that neurite outgr owth could be directed by a combination of cell-adhesive and cell-repu lsive cues. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.