Fig. 7. Cell attachment of dendritic cells (DCs) and TECs to different ECM molecules. Isolated DCs and TECs were allowed to adhere to different plastic-immobilized ECM molecules including LN-5 (A,C,D), LN-10/11 (B,E,F), tenascin-C (G,H), the N-terminal half of fibrillin-1 (I) and the C-terminal half of fibrillin-1 (J-L). 1 µl of each protein was spotted onto Petri-dishes and allowed to air dry. After 1 hour of incubation of the two cell types with the immobilized proteins, the unbound cells were washed away. DCs attached strongly to the area coated with LN-10/11 (B), whereas only a moderate binding to LN-5 was detectable (A). Primary TECs attached equally well to LN-5 (C), LN-10/11 (E), tenascin-C (G) and to the C-terminal (C-term.) half of fibrillin-1 (J), but not to the N-terminal (N-term.) half of fibrillin-1 (I). Cell attachment to all the adhesive ECM molecules was concentration dependent. A representative example is shown for fibrillin-1 (J-L). Cell attachment to fibrillin-1 could only be observed using concentrations >0.05 µg/µl (K,L). Interaction of TECs with LN-5, LN-10/11 and tenascin-C could be completely blocked by pre-incubation of the cells with a function-blocking ß1-integrin antibody (D,F,H). In A and B, the dotted lines delineate the border between the laminin-coated areas and the uncoated areas. Note that outside the laminin-coated areas, only weak background binding is still observed after washing. In all the other micrographs (C-L), the ECM-coated area is located in the center of the pictures in a circular area. In the uncoated area outside the circles, almost no cell attachment could be detected. Bars, 300 µm.