Surface-Initiated Assembly of Protein Nanofabrics Adam W. Feinberg Kevin Kit Parker 10.1021/nl100998p.s001 https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Surface_Initiated_Assembly_of_Protein_Nanofabrics/2762734 Cells and tissues are self-organized within an extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of multifunctional, nano- to micrometer scale protein fibrils. We have developed a cell-free, surface-initiated assembly technique to rebuild this ECM structure in vitro. The matrix proteins fibronectin, laminin, fibrinogen, collagen type I, and collagen type IV are micropatterned onto thermosensitive surfaces as 1 to 10 nm thick, micrometer to centimeter wide networks, and released as flexible, free-standing nanofabrics. Independent control of microstructure and protein composition enables us to engineer the mechanical and chemical anisotropy. Fibronectin nanofabrics are highly extensible (>4-fold) and serve as scaffolds for engineering synchronously contracting, cardiac muscle; demonstrating biofunctionality comparable to cell-generated ECM. 2010-06-09 00:00:00 thermosensitive surfaces ECM structure extracellular matrix Protein NanofabricsCells engineering synchronously contracting matrix proteins fibronectin Independent control micrometer scale protein fibrils protein composition collagen type collagen type IV Fibronectin nanofabrics chemical anisotropy 10 nm