spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Miki, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Miki, K.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Journal of Cell Science, Vol 112, Issue 18 3071-3080, Copyright © 1999 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Volume of liquid below the epithelium of an F9 cell as a signal for differentiation into visceral endoderm

K Miki
Nagoya University Bioscience Center, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. miki@niehs.nih.gov

When retinoic acid-primed F9 cells are allowed to aggregate, they form embryoid bodies with an outer layer of (&agr;)-fetoprotein-producing visceral endoderm cells and an internal cavity. I show that maturation of the visceral endoderm is dependent on the size of F9 aggregates. Size fractionation of aggregates of retinoic acid-primed F9 cells on Percoll density gradients revealed that only aggregates with diameters larger than 180 microm developed into embryoid bodies with an endoderm layer secreting (&agr;)-fetoprotein. Size dependent alpha-fetoprotein-secretion was also observed when retinoic acid-primed F9 cells were cultured on porous microcarrier beads larger than 185 microm. Retinoic acid-primed F9 cells on flat microporous membranes did not differentiate and secrete alpha-fetoprotein unless exposed to a limited volume of medium at their basolateral surface. This suggested that maturation of the visceral endoderm is signaled by the volume of liquid phase below the epithelium. I postulate that the epithelial layer of an F9 aggregate encloses liquid and forms a barrier to diffusion of some critical factor(s). The concentration of such a factor may reach a threshold due to enlargement of the liquid phase during growth of the F9 aggregate and thereby signal maturation of the outer layer of cells into visceral endoderm.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 1999