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Abstract
Micropatterning techniques, such as photolithography and microcontact printing, provide
robust tools for controlling the adhesive interactions between cells and their extracellular
environment. However, the ability to modify these interactions in real time and examine
dynamic cellular responses remains a significant challenge. Here we describe a novel
strategy to create dynamically adhesive, micropatterned substrates, which afford precise
control of cell adhesion and migration over both space and time. Specific functionalization
of micropatterned poly(ethylene glycol methacrylate) (POEGMA) brushes with synthetic
peptides, containing the integrin-binding arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif,
was achieved using thiol-yne coupling reactions. RGD activation of POEGMA brushes
promoted fibroblast adhesion, spreading and migration into previously non-adhesive
areas, and migration speed could be tuned by adjusting the surface ligand density.
We propose that this technique is a robust strategy for creating dynamically adhesive
biomaterial surfaces and a useful assay for studying cell migration.