The enzymatic dissociation and reproducible reaggregation in vitro of 11-day embryonic chick lung☆

[摘要] Amethodisdescribedwhereby11-dayembryonicchicklunghasbeenalmostcompletelydissociatedintoitsconstituentcellsbydigestionwithtrypsinfollowedbycollagenase.Anyundissociatedfragmentsareeasilyremoved,leavingasuspensionofviableisolatedcellsrepresentativeofthewholetissue.Reproduciblespontaneousreaggregationofsuchcellsuspensionscanbeobtainedbycultivationinfluidhangingdropsinanatmosphereofoxygenandcarbondioxide;onereaggregateformsineachdropandincorporatesallthecellscontainedinthedrop.After24hoursinculture,thelungcellshavebecomereorganizedintotypicaltubularepithelialandmesenchymalstructures.By48hours,functionalactivitiessuchassecretionandformationofgroundsubstanceshavebegun.Evidenceispresentedthatthehistotypicalreorganizationthatoccursinthereaggregatesof11-daylungcellsrepresentsorderedreorganizationofhighlydifferentiatedcellsratherthanamultiplicationofisolatedcellsofagiventype.Redirectionofcellularcapabilitiesbyinductiveprocessesisunlikelyunderthoseconditions,andtheconceptof“self-organization”seemsthereforeamoreprobableexplanationofthereorganizationandhistogenesisthattakesplaceinthesecultures.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）