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Nutrient Regulation by Continuous Feeding for Large-scale Expansion of Mammalian Cells in Spheroids

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Extracellular control of cell size.

I J Conlon¹, G A Dunn, A W Mudge

¹MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and the Biology Department, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK. i.conlon@ucl.ac.uk

Nature Cell Biology

|October 5, 2001

Summary

Cell growth and division coordination is not solely dependent on cell growth rate. Extracellular signals regulate cell size variability in cultured rat Schwann cells.

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Molecular Biology
Neuroscience

Background:

Sustained cell proliferation requires coordinated cell growth and cell division.
The prevailing hypothesis suggests cell growth rate limits cell-cycle progression, maintaining cell size.
Mechanisms coordinating cell growth and division remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between cell growth and cell-cycle progression in rat Schwann cells.
To challenge the view that cell growth rate is the sole determinant of cell-cycle progression.
To elucidate how extracellular signals influence cell size maintenance during proliferation.

Main Methods:

Utilized purified rat Schwann cells in culture.
Applied two specific extracellular signal proteins, including glial growth factor (GGF).

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Assessed the impact of GGF on cell growth (mass increase) and cell-cycle progression.

Main Results:

Glial growth factor (GGF) stimulated cell-cycle progression independently of cell growth.
Cell growth rate alone was not the determinant of cell-cycle progression rate.
Schwann cell size at division was variable and dependent on extracellular signal protein concentrations.

Conclusions:

The coordination of cell growth and division is more complex than previously thought.
Extracellular signals play a critical role in regulating cell cycle progression and cell size.
Cell size is not rigidly maintained and can vary based on environmental cues.