Effects of cytochalasin and colcemid on cortical flow in coelomocytes

Sea urchin coelomyocytes naturally flatten on a substratum into a discoid morphology and display striking, centripetally directed cortical flow along the radii of the cell when viewed with time lapse, video enhanced microscopy. The rate of cortical flow averaged 4.5 microns/min in the peripheral most 10 microns of cytoplasm but slows considerably in the perinuclear region. Cytochalasin B causes: (1) the flow to stop, (2) the buildup of an actin filament-rich peripheral ridge of cytoskeletal material, (3) the centrifugal dissolution of a portion of the actin cytoskeleton, and (4) the contraction of other portions of the cytoskeleton into foci. Cytochalasin D (CD), on the other hand, causes the flowing actin meshwork to become severed from the edge of the cell and allows it to be drawn at least part way in towards the nucleus. A smaller peripheral ridge of actin filament buildup is also seen with CD. Colcemid induces another striking change in the cytoskeleton. The centripetal progression of the actin is not stopped by colcemid, but shortly after leaving the periphery of the cell, the linear elements within the flow become reoriented into arcs. The long axis of the arcs is roughly parallel with the cell's edge. The effects of all three drugs are reversible. The results are discussed in light of other systems and potential mechanisms for cortical flow.