A reagent-based dynamic trigger for cell adhesion, shape change, or cocultures.

The described protocol is a simple and easily implemented method for making dynamic micropatterns for cell culture. It is based on the use of a surface coating material (azido-PLL-g-PEG (APP)) that initially repels cells, but which can be made strongly adherent by addition of a small functional peptide (BCN-RGD) to the cell culture medium. The method can be applied to trigger the adhesion, migration, or shape change of single cells or of populations of cells, and it can be used to create patterned cocultures. The entire process can be subdivided into three main parts. The first part describes the creation of patterned APP substrates. The second part describes cell seeding and "click" triggering of cell adhesion; the final part describes variations that allow the overlay of multiple patterns or the creation of patterned cocultures. The APP coating of substrates and the triggering of adhesion only involves treating the surface with aqueous stock solutions, allowing any biology lab to adopt this technique.