Premium
An apparatus that mechanically stretches mesenchymal cells in vitro
Author(s) -
Gasser Raymond F
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a600-b
Subject(s) - mesenchyme , mesenchymal stem cell , limb bud , elongation , microbiology and biotechnology , membrane , in vitro , anatomy , chemistry , biology , biophysics , biomedical engineering , materials science , biochemistry , embryo , engineering , composite material , ultimate tensile strength
Multiple studies support the concept that environmental microphysical forces are important in differentiation. Based on precise reconstructions biokinetic embryology examines the changing position, shape and structure of organs during development and derives the forces necessary to explain the changes. As the differentiating limb bud elongates the internal premuscle mescenchymal masses elongate into muscles and tendons in what have been described as dilation and retension fields, respectively. In both fields the differentiating mesenchymal cells undergo a stretched appearance. A culture apparatus was constructed to apply a stretch force on early chick limb bud mesenchyme in vitro in an attempt to simulate the elongation rate of the bud in ovo . A pellet of mesenchyme was removed from the primordial upper bud and placed on an elastic membrane attached to a stage. One end of the stage was mobile and connected to a rod that was pulled by an electric motor through a series of step down cogs. The pull rate simulated the elongation rate of the bud in ovo . After 12 hrs. in culture the mesenchymal cells attached to the membrane after which the motor was started and the membrane gradually stretched. The control was mesenchymal cells on an unstretched membrane in the same culture medium and gases in the same incubation chamber. SEMs show the morphology of the stretched and unstretched cells after four days in culture. This technology could be used to examine the effect of stretch and other microphysical forces on the ultrastructure of mesenchymal cells in vitro . (Supported by NIH grant T5HL 07495)