Migration Velocity of Cell under Shear Flow Field: After and Before Division

The migration velocity of each single cell under the Couette type of the shear flow field has been studied in relation to the area adhere to the scaffold before and after division in vitro. The shear field was made in a constant gap between a lower stationary culture plate and an upper rotating parallel plate. Two types of cells were used in the test: L929 (mouse fibroblast connective tissue), and 3T3-L1 (mouse fat precursor cells). After adhesion of cells on the lower plate, the wall shear stress of 1 Pa was continuously applied on cells for 24 hours in an incubator. The migration velocity of each cell was traced at the time lapse images observed by an inverted phase contrast microscope placed in an incubator. Experimental results show that the migration of each cell is accelerated with the smaller contact area between the cell and the scaffold around the term of division of the cell. Several cells of L929 migrate to the direction perpendicular to the flow just before division. Although many cells migrate upstream, 3T3-L1 tends to migrate downstream.