Cell-substratum adhesion strength as a determinant of hepatocyte aggregate morphology

✍ Scribed by Mark J. Powers; Raul E. Rodriguez; Linda G. Griffith

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 441 KB
• Volume: 53
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0006-3592
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0290(19970220)53:4<415::aid-bit10>3.0.co;2-f

✦ Synopsis

Cultured hepatocytes typically form multicellular aggregates which are either monolayered or spheroidal in morphology. We propose that the aggregate morphology resulting from a particular cellsubstratum interaction has a biophysical basis: when cell contractile forces are greater than cell-substratum adhesion forces, spheroidal aggregates form; when cell contractile forces are weaker than cell-substratum adhesion forces, cells remain essentially spread and form monolayered aggregates. We tested this hypothesis by systematically varying the morphology of hepatocellular aggregates formed on substrata coated with a series of different concentrations of Matrigel, and correlating aggregate morphology with the cell-substratum adhesion strength measured in a shear flow detachment assay. Aggregate morphology was binary-spheroidal aggregates formed at low Matrigel concentrations and monolayered aggregates formed at high Matrigel concentrations. Cell-substratum adhesion strength was similarly binary, with low adhesion strengths correlated with spheroidal aggregates and high adhesion strengths correlated with formation of monolayered aggregates.