Skip to main content
Log in

The influence of contact guidance on the orientation of colonies of subcultured vascular smooth muscle cells

  • Published:
In Vitro Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Subcultures of smooth muscle cells derived from rat thoracic aorta were grown on plane plastic substrata and on plastic substrata having ridges molded in them by a heated, ruled template. The cells were found to have a very high degree of contact guidance when distributed sparsely on the ridged substrata. When the cell density increased multilayered, elongated colonies formed. On plane substrata these were irregular, curved, and disposed in all directions. On the ridged substrata, however, the colonies were straight, evenly spaced, and positioned at right angles to the ridges.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chamley-Campbell, J.; Campbell, G. R.; Ross, R. The smooth muscle cell in culture. Physiol. Rev. 59: 1–61; 1979.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Chamley, J. H.; Campbell, G. R.; McConnell, J. D.; Gröschel-Stewart, U. Comparison of vascular smooth muscle cells from adult human, monkey and rabbit in primary culture and subculture. Cell Tissue Res. 177: 503–522; 1977.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Gimbrone, M. A.; Cotran, R. S. Human vascular smooth muscle in culture. Growth and ultrastructure. Lab. Invest. 33: 16–27; 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kocan, R. M.; Moss, N. S.; Benditt, E. P. Human arterial wall cells and tissues in culture. Methods Cell Biol. 21A: 153–165; 1980.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Paule, W. J.; Zemplenji, T. K.; Rounds, D. E.; Blankenhorn, D. H. Light- and electronmicroscopic characteristics of arterial smooth muscle cell cultures subjected to hypoxia or carbon monoxide. Atherosclerosis 25: 111–123; 1976.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Biermann, E. L.; Stein, O.; Stein, Y. Lipoprotein uptake and metabolism by rat aortic smooth muscle cells in tissue culture. Circ. Res. 35: 136–150; 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Mey, J.; Schulte, H. Studies on the influence of different drugs upon the proliferative answer of ASMC and fibroblasts in culture depending on drug concentration and exposure time. Paroi Artérielle 4: 269–279; 1978.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ohara, P. T.; Buck, R. C. Contact guidance in vitro. A light, transmission, and scanning electron microscopic study. Exp. Cell Res. 121: 235–249; 1979.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. McCartney, M. D.; Buck, R. C. Comparison of the degree of contact guidance between tumor cells and normal cells in vitro. Cancer Res. 41: 3046–3051; 1981.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Buck, R. C. Contact guidance in the subendothelial space. Repair of rat aorta in vitro. Exp. Molec. Pathol. 31: 275–283; 1979.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Fowler, S.; Shio, H.; Wolinsky, H. Subcellular fractionation and morphology of calf aortic smooth muscle cells. J. Cell Biol. 75: 166–184; 1977.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ross, R. The smooth muscle cell. II. Growth of smooth muscle in culture and formation of elastic fibers. J. Cell Biol. 50: 172–186; 1971.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Chamley, J. H.; Gröschel-Stewart, U.; Campbell, G. R.; Burnstock, G. Distinction between smooth muscle, fibroblasts and endothelial cells in culture by the use of fluoresceinated antibodies against smooth muscle actin. Cell Tissue Res. 177: 445–457; 1977.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rossi, G. L.; Alroy, J.; Röthenmund, S. Morphological studies of cultured swine aorta media explants. Virchows Arch. (Cell Pathol.) 12: 133–144; 1973.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hinek, A.; Thyberg, J. Electron microscopic observations on the formation of elastic fibers in primary cultures of aortic smooth muscle cells. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 60: 12–20; 1977.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Barrett, L. A.; Mergner, W. J.; Trump, B. F. Long term culture of human aortas. Development of atherosclerotic-like plaques in serum-supplemented medium. In Vitro 15: 957–965; 1979.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Boissel, J. P.; Bourdillon, M. C.; Loire, R.; Crouzet, B. Histological arguments for collagen and elastin synthesis by primary cultures of rat aortic media cells. Atherosclerosis 25: 107–110; 1976.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Barnes, M. J.; Morton, L. F.; Levene, C. I. Synthesis of collagens types I and III by pig media smooth muscle cells in culture. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 70: 339–347; 1976.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Dunn, G. A.; Heath, J. P. A new hypothesis of contact guidance in tissue cells. Exp. Cell Res. 101: 1–14; 1976.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Gross, L.; Epstein, E. Z.; Kugel, M. A. Histology of coronary arteries and their branches in the human heart. Am. J. Pathol. 10: 253–274; 1934.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Buck, R. C. Intimal thickening after ligature of arteries. An electron-microscopic study. Circulation Res. 9: 418–426; 1961.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Björkerud, S. Reaction of the arterial wall of the rabbit after superficial, longitudinal, mechanical trauma. Virchows Arch. (Cell Pathol.) 347: 197–210; 1969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Hoff, H. F.; Gottlob, R. Studies on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis with experimental model systems. I. An electron microscopic study of the effect of injections of artificial fat-emulsions into the lumen of doubly-ligated rabbit carotid arteries. Virchows Arch. (Cell Pathol.) 347: 1–15; 1969.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Supported by Grant MT1011 from the Medical Research Council of Canada.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Buck, R.C. The influence of contact guidance on the orientation of colonies of subcultured vascular smooth muscle cells. In Vitro 18, 783–788 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02796502

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02796502

Key words

Navigation