STRESS DEVELOPED BY SHEETS OF CHICK FIBROBLASTS IN VITRO

1. 1. When confronted explants of chick frontal bone are cultured on glass, fibroblasts grow out from all sides of each explant, and form a confluent cell sheet in the region between them. If the cells on the non-confronted aspects of one explant are detached, then the explants are drawn towards each other by the fibroblast sheet connecting them. 2. 2. The tension thus developed has been measured directly using a calibrated micro-spring balance, and found to be about 3.4 × 104 dynes/cm2 of cross-sectional area of the cell sheet between the cultures. 3. 3. Heating the cultures above 40 °C caused a decrease in tension within the cell sheets (to 1.7 × 104 dynes/cm2) which may indicate that contraction of an extended fibroblast depends upon more than a single mechanism. © 1969.