Description
Themostcommonlyusedthiolsforthepreparationofadsorption-resistantSAMsongoldorothermetals(e.g.,Ag,Pd,Cu).Idealasbio-inertbackgroundincellpatterning/spre
ADIngstudies(Chenetal.
Science276,1425,1997),SPRexperiments(Mrksich&Whitesides
Ann.Rev.Biophys.Biomol.Struct.25,55,1996,Lahirietal.
Langmuir15,7186,1999),proteinmicroarrays(Schaeferlingetal.
Electrophoresis23,3097,2002)andmore.
ResistivitytoproteinadsorptionissimilarfordifferentnumbersofEGunits.Ostunietal.(
Langmuir17,5605,2001)reportedtheproteinadsorptivityof0.2%ML(percentmonolayer)forpureEG3SAM.Formixed1:1EG/COOHSAMs(cf.Cat.#TH003)theadsorptivitieswere:(i)fibrinogen,1.6%MLforEG3and0.4%MLforEG6(ii)Lysozyme,1.0%MLforEG3and1.0%MLforEG6.Monolayerspreparedfromourthiolshaveevenbettercharacteristicswith(~0.1%MLforpureEGnmonolayers).
OneofthemostexcitingapplicationsofEGthiolsisinthepreparationofsubstratesforcellpatterning.Thisiscommonlydonebyfirstmicropatterning(eitherbymicrocontactprintingortheASOMICtechnique;cf.schemebelowandalsoKandere-Grzybowskaetal.
NatureMethods2,739,2005)anarrayofcell-adhesiveislandsofdesiredshapesanddimensions,andthenincubatingtherestofthesurfacewithanadhesion-resistantEGthiol.Whencellsareappliedontosuchasurface,theystickonlytotheislandsandassumetheirshapes.Inthisway,populationsofcellsofminimalheterogeneityareprepared,andtheinfluenceofgeometryoncellfunctioningcanbestudiedinquantitativedetail.Intheirseminalpaper(C.S.Chenetal.
Science276,1425,1997),WhitesidesandIngberhaveshownhowshapemodificationcancontrolapoptosis.Morerecently(
NatureMethods2,739,2005),BorisyandGrzybowskigroupshavedemonstratedhowitcanbeusedtoadjustandcontrolcytoskeletalfunctionsinlivingcells.Thepicturebelowprovidesacolorfulillustrationofthiscap
ABIlity,withaB16F1cellmadetriangularandthenfluorescentlylabeledformicrotubules(green),actinstressfibers(blue)andfocaladhesions(red).
Notes:(1)ThekeytosuccessfuluseofEGmonolayersforcellstudiesistheirlowcytotoxicity.
ProChimiadevelopedspecialpurificationmethodstoensurethatitsthiolsareextremely"cellfriendly".
(2)Formaximalcontrastbetweenthecellislandsandthebioresistantportionofthesurfacesurroundingtheseislands,werecommendtheEG6thiol.
(3)PleasenotethatasofMay2006,ProChimiaalsooffersaselectionofhigh-qualitygoldsubstratesandPDMSstampsforcellmicropatterning.Pleasecontactoneofourofficestolearnaboutspecificproducts.
