"Stamp-off" to micropattern sparse, multicomponent features.

Spatially patterned subtractive de-inking, a process we term "stamp-off," provides a simple method to generate sparse, multicomponent protein micropatterns. It has been applied to control cell adhesion, study adhesion biology, as well as to micropattern fragile surfaces. This technique can also readily be applied to study nanoscale interactions between cell membrane receptors and surface-immobilized ligands. It is based on conventional microcontact printing and as such requires the same reagents, including photolithographically defined masters, a spin-coater, poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS), and conventional cell culture reagents such as glass coverslips and adhesive proteins. Stamp-off is conceptually simplified into three steps: (1) generation of an appropriate cell culture substrate, PDMS-coated glass, (2) micropatterning with stamp-off, and (3) cell deposition. After elaborating each of these three methods, we discuss limitations of the technique and its applications.