another indication of the important role of the matrix environment in inducing neural
stem cells into diverse differentiation pathways. In addition, rheological measurements of the peptide hydrogels, Matrigel™, and collagen I were performed to
determine their mechanical properties. Matrigel™ and collagen I concentrations
Fig. 12 Representative confocal images for DRG neurons growing on a 2D LN surface (a) or
within 3D collagen (1 mg mL
À1
) gels with or without 100 μg mL
À1 LN (b) are shown. In (a), the
neurons growing on the LN surface were stained for α3, neurofilament, and nuclei, with the merge
shown on the right. The images show that the α3 subunit is expressed within neurons and glial/
fibroblast support cells. In (b), neurons growing within the 3D scaffolds were stained with
antibodies that are specific to the integrin receptor subunits, α1, α3, α6, and β1 and neurofilament
antibody specific for neurons, with the merge shown on the right. Scale bar is 20 μm. Adapted with
permission from reference [33]. Copyright 2012 Institute of Physics Publishing
370
R. de la Cruz and D. D. Díaz