Description of micropatterns and uses

Disc pattern
Cells adopt a round shape but internal organization is not standardized. Focal adhesions and membrane protrusions span the entire periphery. Cells are randomly polarized and divide in all directions.



Crossbow pattern
Cells adopt the shape of a Chinese fan and become strongly polarized, with most of actin assembly and lamellipodia formation taking place at the upper edge while most of the acto-myosin contraction is confined to the bottom edge. Cells preferentially orient their mitotic spindle along the vertical axis and exhibit asymmetric spindle orientation. Ref: PNAS and Nature.

H pattern
Cells adopt a pseudo-square shape with actin assembly and lamellipodia formation taking place at the adhesive edges and acto-myosin contraction at the non adhesive edges. Cells preferentially orient their mitotic spindle along the vertical axis and exhibit symmetric spindle orientation.
Ref: CMC and Nat Cell Biol.

Y pattern
Cells adopt a triangular shape with actin assembly and lamellipodia formation taking place at the three apices and acto-myosin contraction at the three edges. This geometry enhances any anomaly in bipolar spindle formation due to an excess number of centrosomes.
Ref: CMC, Genes Dev.

L pattern
Cells also adopt a triangular shape with actin assembly and lamellipodia formation taking place at two apices and acto-myosin contraction essentially on one edge. This gives a single strong stress fiber and is convenient for mitotic spindle orientation assays. This pattern is not on the Starter's CYTOOchip but is available as a standard CYTOOchip on request sales@cytoo.com
Ref: CMC

Custom patterns
Only you know what's best for your cells. Create your own patterns for your research goals.

Size matters

Size of micropattern	Small	Medium	Large
Surface of cell spread out on the micropattern	700µm²	1100µm²	1600µm²
Optimal choice for these cell lines	HeLa, MDCK, MCF10A	RPE1 MDA-231, MCF7, NIH-3T3	Human mesenchymal stem cells, primary embryonic fibroblasts.