Selective and non-selective adhesion of neural, glial and fibroblastic cells

Hurum, Sven O (1978) Selective and non-selective adhesion of neural, glial and fibroblastic cells. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

A study was made of the selective and non-selective adhesive properties of neural, glial and fibroblastic cells. Cell adhesion was measured by the attachment of radioactively labelled cells onto preformed cell sheets. Embryonic chick skin, heart, limb and meningeal fibroblasts showed no specific adhesion with each other, but appeared to differ quantitatively in adhesiveness. Distinct morphological differences between cultures of the different fibroblastic cell types were noted. The adhesive properties of several normal and transformed fibroblastic cell lines were examined, and a relationship was found between adhesiveness and cell morphology. Transformed fibroblasts forming cultures with a criss-crossed appearance were highly adhesive, whereas transformed fibroblasts deficient in lamellar cytoplasm showed a marked reduction in adhesiveness. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP treatment of OHO cell sheets partially restored the lamellar cytoplasm of these cells and also increased their adhesiveness by 2.0-2.5 times. An epithelial cell line, also lacking lamellar cytoplasm, was found to form very non-adhesive cell sheets. Evidence for the relationship of adhesiveness to lamellar cytoplasm and for the presence of two different types of transformation alteration in these cell types is discussed. Five norm.al and transformed cell lines could be arranged in a hierarchy of adhesiveness, in each case showing quantitative adhesive interactions when different combinations of the cell types were tested. In contrast to this, HEF (Hamster Embryo Fibroblast) cells showed a two-fold specificity of adhesion with neural retina cells. No specificity was found between neural retina cells and C13 fibroblasts or skin fibroblasts, and two possibilities are discussed for the apparent restriction of the capacity to show specific adhesion with neural cells to certain fibroblasts. Extensive studies were made to determine the most suitable conditions for the culturing of embryonic chick glial cells, end for the preparation of single cell suspensions of these cells. Glial cells obtained from neural retina, cerebrum and optic lobe had were similar morphological and growth properties. Evidence was provided by time lapse filming and by alteration of the culture conditions for the presence of small numbers of macrophage-like cells in these cultures. Neural cells spread well on glial cells and appeared to show a higher adhesive affinity for glial cell outgrowths than for other neural cells. Preliminary experiments showed that glial cells attached poorly to glial cell sheets, and that neural cells appeared to attach approximately two-fold better to glial cell sheets than did embryonic chick fibroblasts. These results are discussed in relation to the possible roles of adhesive interactions between neural, glial and fibroblastic cells in the organogenesis of the nervous system. Neural, glial and fibroblastic cells showed similar requirements fox' attachment to serum-coated plastic, with the exception of cerebrum cells. The latter attached very poorly to plastic, but showed no reduction in the ability to rapidly aggregate. An approximate correlation was found between the rates of attachment of these cell types and the extents to which they spread on the substrate. Hemagglutinating activity was found in homogenates of neural retina, cerebrum and optic lobe tissues and in cultures of glial cells. Similar yields of activity were obtained from each tissue or cell type, and the optimal activity appeared to be in the crude membrane fraction. Tentative evidence was obtained for the inhibition of the cerebrum and optic lobe hemagglutinating activities by specific sugars. The possible role of hemagglutininc in celi adhesion is discussed.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Advisers: A SG Curtis; J G Edwards
• Keywords: Cellular biology
• Date of Award: 1978
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1978-72305
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 24 May 2019 15:12
• Last Modified: 24 May 2019 15:12
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/72305