The fine structure of growing and non-growing whole glia cell preparations

Human glia cells become blocked in G1 if starved of serum. The characteristics of the GI blocked state are flattening on the substrate, and absence of cell translocation, ruffling and macropinocytosis. Re-entry into the cell cycle, as a result of growth factor stimulation, is accompained and even preceded by the return of this cellular locomotion. We have studied the fine structure of intact human glia cells and ultrathin sections of these cells when proliferating normally in vitro, when starved of serum and during their return to the cell cycle following stimulation with mEGF (mouse epidermal growth factor). Particular attention was paid to morphologically definable components of the cellular musculoskeletal system. Proliferating interphase glia generally had a leading lamella containing few organelles and oriented bundles of 7 nm microfilaments with structureless lamellipodia at their tips, which often formed ruffles. The perinuclear area was thick and contained many cell organelles, including mitochondria and secondary lysosomes. Glia starved of serum were thinly spread; their peripheral cytoplasm was filled with a diffuse mat of microfilaments, they had no structureless lamellipodia and their perinuclear areas, although thinner, contained cell organelles in equal amounts and of similar type of those found in proliferating cells. On EGF stimulation, after approximately 2 hours the perinuclear area of the cells thickened, and structureless lamellipodia subsequently appeared at the tips of the leading lamellae, forming ruffles. The cells finally began to translocate, the process being accompained by the reorientation and packing of the microfilaments into bundles. As the kinetics of EGF binding and break down by glia cells are similar to those described for fibroblasts, the findings do not support the concept of EGF receptor interactions inducing ultrastructurally demonstrable microfilament or other musculoskeletal structural changes in the cell. They do, however, define the differing cellular morphologies of motile and immobile structures.