FakirSlide are ready-to-use coverslips patterned with micro- and nano-structures to induce diverse, well-controlled topological cues on live cells or membrane mimetic systems.
Made of borosilicate glass, they are compatible with all types of advanced microscopies and provide a solid support allowing for long-term experiments.
Unlock new insights!Based on a newly-developed nanostructuration technique called soft nanoimprint lithography, FakirSlide pushes the resolution boundaries and makes available to researchers a diverse panel of reproducible micro to nano-scale topographies of various aspect ratios to better investigate key cellular responses to specific membrane topologies. Check out our available catalog below.
Maximize your assay reliability - FakirSlide provides ordered arrays of structures with high control over their shape, diameter and periodicity. They were specifically designed to induce robust & consistent membrane curvatures and facilitate data analysis.
Simplify your experimental workflows: made of a high-quality synthetic silica layer, the Fakirslide surface is directly functional for supported lipid bilayers without the need for harsh cleaning or hydroxylating pre-treatments.
Fakirslides substrates have been successfully used to manipulate membrane morphology of living cells and supported lipid bilayers, and observe effects of curvatures on membrane protein dynamics, cytoskeletal reorganization and cell migration. Check out relevant publications and example results in our dedicated sections.
The shape catalog of FakirSlide
We are thrilled to introduce our newly-released design, the Nanocones, that just joined the FakirSlide catalog:
The FakirSlide technology paves the way to a new kind of nanostructures for biological applications, allowing for high flexibility in designs. It is thanks to your interest and feedback that we will be able to expand this catalog and offer new shapes in the future.
Applications
Use FakirSlide to apply membrane deformations on cultured cells or membrane-mimetic systems. Experimental outputs include:
Live cell imaging
Immunostaining
Migration assays
Compatible imaging modes: confocal microscopy, Airyscan microscopy, TIRF, super-resolution microscopy (2D and 3D STED, PALM/STORM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).
Cell types: So far, FakirSlide has been successfully used with a variety of human (HeLa, U-2 OS, HT1080, SUM159, RPE-1, THP-1 & human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDC)) and murine (C2C12 mouse myoblasts) cells.
Supported membranes: So far, FakirSlide has been successfully used with a variety of neutral (DOPC, Egg-PC, POPC, POPE & Egg-PE) and negatively-charged (Liver-PI, Brain-PS, Brain-PI(4,5)P2 & Brain-PI4P) lipid mixtures.
Specifications
Surface topographies: round or square pillars, nanodomes or nanocones Approx. pattern area: 1 cm x 1 cm Surface material: borosilicate glass Coverslip diameter: 25 mm Coverslip thickness N°: 1.5H (0.170 mm ± 0.005 mm) Cell culture treated: No Storage: can be stored indefinitely at room temperature when protected from dust & humidity
Live imaging of plasma membrane and actin dynamics of cells seeded on FakirSlide round pillars
Snapshots of cytoskeleton (spy555-actin, orange) and plasma membrane dynamics (WGA-AlexaFluor488, green) of moDC seeded on round pillars (Large). Images were acquired on a spinning disk microscope (Nikon Ti Inscoper CSU-X1, objective 100X Plan Apo lambda 1.45 NA DT 0.13mm oil). Image credits: Raissa Rathar - IRIM Montpellier, 2022
Super-resolution imaging of actin reorganization in cells seeded on FakirSlide round pillars
Confocal and STED images showing the organization of the actin cytoskeleton (STAR 580 phalloidin, Abberior) of moDC cells seeded on round pillars (Large). Images were acquired on an Abberior STED super-resolution microscope (Objective 100X Plan SuperApochromat N.A 1.4 Oil). Image credits: Raissa Rathar - IRIM Montpellier, 2022
Organization of purified recombinant proteins on FakirSlide nano-domes coated with isolated membranes
Airyscan sub-diffraction microscopy images of a nano-domes surface (Small) functionalized with supported-lipid bilayers (doped with 0.2% of OG-DHPE, green) along with the organization of the recombinant protein FCHo2 labeled with AlexaFluor647 (protein concentration was 1 µM, magenta). Images were acquired on a confocal/airyscan Zeiss LSM880 microscope (objective 63X Plan Apo Oil 1.4NA). Image credits: El Alaoui et al., 2022
Organization of proteins by immunolabeling of cells seeded on FakirSlide round pillars
Airyscan sub-diffraction microscopy images of moDC cells seeded on round pillars (Large) and immunostained to visualize the endogenous organization of paxillin (anti-paxillin rabbit polyclonal antibody GTX125891, orange) and the actin cytoskeleton (phalloidin Atto647N, blue). Images were acquired on a confocal/airyscan Zeiss LSM880 microscope (objective 63X Plan Apo Oil 1.4NA). Image credits: Raissa Rathar - IRIM Montpellier, 2021
Cell migration assay on FakirSlide round pillars
Snapshots of the dynamics of moDCs cells seeded on round pillars (Large). Images were acquired on an inversed Olympus IX83 video-microscope (transmitted light, objective 40 X objective 40x LUCPLFLN 0,6NA RC2) 0.6 NA. Blue arrows point to membrane projections propelled during the migration of moDC cells. Image credits: Raissa Rathar - IRIM Montpellier, 2021
Association of wild-type septins and septin mutants with lipid membranes
Left: Average intensity (AVG projection of n > 5 images) of the surface distribution of fluorescent PI(4,5)P2 (gray) and the surface distribution of 100 nM wild-type, ΔPB-Cdc11 or ΔAH-Cdc12 septin-GFP complexes (Fire LUT) at the top and bottom of cones functionalized with 2.5% mol PI(4,5)P2-containing membranes. Scale bar, 1 µm. Right: Enrichment of wild-type, ΔPB-Cdc11 or ΔAH-Cdc12 mutants septin-GFP complexes at the top (k ~6.6µm-1), middle (k ~2 µm-1) and bottom (k ~1.4 µm-1) of nano-cones relative to the flat membrane (k ~0µm-1). Nano-cones analyzed, n = 265, 277, 342, and 580; n = 269, 279, 376 and 540; n = 266, 275, 315 and 586, for wild-type, ΔPB-Cdc11 or ΔAH-Cdc12 mutants respectively, from three technical replicates. Error bars represent s.d.; One–way ANOVA test: n.s > 0.05, *P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, **** P < 0.0001. Source publication:El Alaoui et al, Septin filament assembly assist the lateral organization of membranes, bioRxiv 2024; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.19.585775
Effects of surface topography on the spatial organization of immune receptors in hDCs
Immature hDCs were cultured on Fakirslides (round pillars). a. Scanning electron microscopy images showing a detail of the surface topography (left) and the deformation of the plasma membrane of hDCs to adapt the shape of the surface topography (right). Scale bar: 1.5 and 3 μm, respectively. Schematics generated by BioRender. b. Representative Airyscan images showing the endogenous organization of the receptors (orange hot LUT) CD64, Dectin 1, DC-SIGN, and TLR4 relative to podosomes (cyan hot LUT) at the plasma membrane of immature hDCs on flat or vertical pillar topographies. Scale bar, 2 μm. c. Interaction strength (ε) of CD64, Dectin 1, DC-SIGN, or TLR4 with the actin signal at the plasma membrane of immature hDCs seeded on flat (gray) or vertical pillar topographies (red). Solid line represents the mean. Cells analyzed (n) from 2 biological replicates, n = 16, n = 15, n = 17, n = 13 for flat and n = 13, n = 19, n = 12, n = 15 for pillar topographies, respectively. Mann–Whitney test: n.s. P > 0.05, **P < 0.01. Source publication: Rathar R. et al, (2024). Tuning the Immune Cell Response through Surface Nanotopography Engineering. Small Science. 10.1002/smsc.202400227.
PI(4,5)P2 assists the organization of FCHo2 on curved membranes
a. SEM images of Fakirslides nano-domes with a radius, R ~ 150 nm. Scale bar, 2 µm. Inset, scale bar is 500 nm. Representative 3D renders of the surface organization (b) and average profile analysis of the normalized fluorescence (c) of the F-BAR domain (green) and FCHo2 (magenta) on nano-domes functionalized with either 5% mol PI(4,5)P2 or 20% PS-containing membranes (yellow) relative to the DHPE lipid dye signal (gray). Scale bar, 400 nm. Each curve represents the mean ± SD of n = 20 nano-domes from at least three replicates. Source publication: El Alaoui F. et al, (2022). Structure and dynamics of FCHo2 docking on membranes. eLife. 10.7554/eLife.73156