Dissociated cell culture has proved extremely valuable for studying the functional relationship between specific cell surface and extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and a variety of cellular behaviors such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, and neuronal process outgrowth. When cells are cultured on substrata made from purified cell surface or ECM components, the direct actions of these molecules on cells can be examined easily. However, for some in vitro studies, it is desirable to examine the functions of such molecules in an environment that more closely approximates that which exists in vivo. Such studies might include, for example, investigations in which the endogenous distribution and heterogeneity of such molecules is important, screens for uncharacterized factors that effect a particular cell behavior, or studies examining the combinatorial effects of the many cell surface and ECM components that occur in intact tissue.
