Fig. 3. Average cell elongations (cell length/cell breadth) of cells cultured on substrates patterned with 70 nm wide ridges and 600 nm deep grooves, on a 400 nm pitch (circles) and of cells on smooth substrates (triangles). Average elongation of nonaligned cells on patterned substrates (cells with orientation angles between 10° and 90°) was equivalent to the average elongation of cells cultured on smooth substrates. Cells with orientation angles less than 10° were on average significantly more elongated than nonaligned cells cultured on the patterned substrates or cells cultured on smooth substrates.