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LLC‐PK 1 cysts: A model for the study of epithelial polarity
Author(s) -
Wohlwend Annelise,
Montesano Roberto,
Vassalli JeanDominique,
Orci Lelio
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041250325
Subject(s) - polarity (international relations) , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , genetics , cell
In the present work, we have taken advantage of the properties of two recently isolated clonal subpopulations of the pig kidney‐derived LLC‐PK 1 cell line to study aspects of the establishment of epithelial polarity. When grown in suspension, LLC‐PK 1 /D + Sc cells reaggregated within a few hours and, during the following days of culture, formed free‐floating, hollow spheres or cysts, lined by a monolayer of polarized cells. In contrast, LLC‐PK 1 /D ‐ cells were unable to develop such polarized structures even upon prolonged culture in suspension. The polarity of the LLC‐PK 1 /D + Sc cells lining the cysts was inverted compared to that in intact renal tubules, the microvilli‐rich “apical” pole being oriented toward the external medium. However, upon embedding these preformed cysts in collagen gels, a reversal of polarity was observed within hours, the microvilli‐rich pole now facing the cyst cavity. Thus, in the same clonally derived cell population, cell‐to‐cell contact and interaction with the extracellular matrix differentially affect the orientation of cellular polarity. The LLC‐PK 1 /D + Sc cysts provide a suitable in vitro model system for further study of the sequential events by which extracellular matrix components induce an appropriately oriented polarization. In addition, the comparison between LLC‐PK 1 /D + Sc and D ‐ cells, which differ in their ability to polarize in response to cell‐to‐cell contact, should help define some of the cellular determinants involved in epithelial organization.