Change of substrate geometry and laminin density stimulates axon branching

Axon branching enables neurons to contact with multiple targets and respond to their microenvironment.Owing to its importance in neuronal network formation,axon branching has been studied extensively during the past decades.It is reported that ECM(Extra Cellular Matrix)components such as laminin,collagen,and tenascin regulate the morphology and motility of neuronal growth cones in culture,but the effects of their distribution and the change of density on axon branching are not well understood.We fabricated chemically homogeneous substrate by microcontact printing(μCP)and inhomogeneous substrate with different laminin density by