Goldberg W J. Levine K V. Tadvalkar G. Laws E R Jr. Bernstein J J.
Mechanisms of C6 Glioma Cell and Fetal Astrocyte Migration into Hydrated Collagen I Gels, Brain Research 581(1) :81-90, 1992.
Abstract
Fetal basal ganglia astrocytes and C6 glioma cells were
plated on the surface of 1.5 cm thick hydrated collagen I wafers. Both cell
types migrated through the entire thickness of the wafer within 1 day after
plating. The collagen in the wafer was digested and the fine collagen I
fibrils were clumped into large strands. By 2-3 days, the collagen strands
were digested from the wafers and replaced by a mass of fetal
astrocytes or C6 cells joined by their processes. The
collagen I digestion and cell migration suggested protease
production. In a second series of experiments, cultured C6 cells and E14
fetal astrocytes were immunohistochemically stained for the
presence of plasminogen activators as an index of protease production. Both
tissue (tPA) and urokinase (uPA) types were observed. Fetal
astrocytes and C6 cells were also positive for
guanidinobenzoatase, a serine protease associated with migrating cells.
These data demonstrate that rapid migration of the cells on
and through collagen I fibrils is concomitant with expression of plasminogen
activators and protease which can either activate or function as collagenases
and release the cells from the substrate.
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