EXPERIMENTAL-EVIDENCE FOR THE ROLE OF LONG-RANGE FORCES IN FIBROBLAST-SUBSTRATE INTERACTION

Reflection interference microscopy was used to demonstrate that reducing the electrolyte concentration of the medium (sucrose was added to the medium to keep it isotonic) resulted in large areas of the ventral surface of the avian fibroblast moving further away from the substrate. Thus in cells 3 h after plating out the grey reflection image changed to white and in cells 24 h after plating out the predominantly white image was lost as the ventral surface moved even further away. These changes were reversible on replacing the low ionic strength solutions with 199 medium or 145 mM NaCl. This offers direct experimental evidence for the role of long range electrostatic forces in cell-substrate interactions of fibroblasts. © 1979.