title: Patterned networks of mouse hippocampal neurons on peptide-coated gold surfaces.
abstract: Patterned networks of hippocampal neurons were generated on peptide-coated gold substrates prepared by microscope projection photolithography and microcontact printing. A 19 amino acid peptide fragment of laminin A (PA22-2) that includes the IKVAV cell adhesion domain was used to direct patterns of cell adhesion in primary culture. Microscale grid patterns of peptide were deposited on gold-coated glass cover slips by soft lithography using "stamps" fashioned from polydimethylsiloxane. Strong coordination bonding between gold atoms on the surface and the sulfur atoms of the N-terminal cysteine residues supported stable adhesion of the peptide, which was confirmed by immunofluorescence using anti-IKVAV antiserum. Dispersed hippocampal cells isolated from neonatal mouse pups were grown on peptide-patterned gold substrates for 7 days. Neurons preferentially adhered to peptide-coated regions of the gold surface and restricted their processes to the peptide patterns. Whole cell recordings of neurons grown in patterned arrays revealed an average membrane potential of -50 mV, as well as the presence of voltage-gated ion conductances. Peptide-modified gold surfaces serve as convenient and effective substrates for growing ordered neural networks that are compatible with existing multi-electrode array recording technology.
authors.affiliation: Center for Material Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5003, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Heller
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garga
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: Tai-Chou
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahbubani
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sigworth
authors.forename: T Randall
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rea
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006046:Gold; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010455:Peptides
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D010455:Peptides; C070425:PA22-2; D006046:Gold