Cytoskeletal control of fibroblast length: experiments with linear strips of substrate

In order to understand the factors determining the length of fibroblasts, three cell lines (mouse embryonic fibroblasts plus human fibroblast lines AGO 1523 and M19) were cultivated on the usual planar substrate (glass) and on specially prepared narrow linear strips of the same substrate, where the cells could spread only linearly. Morphometric measurements showed that the average length of cells of each type on the 'unidimensional' strips was no different from that on the usual 'bidimensional' substrate. The addition of colcemid significantly decreased cell length on both substrates, whereas cytochalasin D increased the length. We concluded that fibroblasts have an intracellular mechanism maintaining a relatively constant average cell length. This mechanism may involve the dynamic balance of centripetal and centrifugal forces developed by two cytoskeletal systems: the microtubules and the actin-myosin cortex. Three epitheliocyte cell lines (rat IAR2, canine MDCK and bovine FBT) were tested but, in contrast to fibroblasts, they did not maintain similar cell lengths on the usual substrate and on the linear strips, suggesting that control of length is cell-type-specific.