Live-Cell Imaging: Cell Motility

Embryonic Rat Thoracic Aorta Medial Layer Myoblasts (A-10 Line)

The clonal cell line A-10 was derived from the excised thoracic aorta of an embryonic rat (Rattus norvegicus) from the strain DB1X. The thoracic aorta is a branch of the descending aorta, which transports blood from the heart to the other organs and parts of the body. This arbitrary anatomic entity is generally considered to extend from the arch of the aorta to the diaphragm. The cells grow adherently and exhibit myoblast morphology, possessing many of the properties characteristic of smooth muscle cells. Cellular products include myokinase, creatine phosphokinase, and myosin. A-10 cells produce spontaneous action potentials at the stationary phase of the growth cycle and exhibit an increase in activity of the enzymes myokinase and creatine phosphokinase.

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 1 - In culture, A-10 myoblasts often behave in a manner that is suggestive of their normal role in the vertebrate body, which entails cellular fusion and their differentiation into multinucleated myotubes, the immature form of muscle fibers. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (24.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 73 seconds - 30.9 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 2 - Numerous stress fibers, the attachments of which are mediated by transmembrane proteins, can be observed in the myoblasts. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (18.0 hour time-lapse sequence; 54 seconds - 22.6 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 3 - The uropod, which is also commonly referred to as a retraction fiber, periodically snaps back into the central portion of the cell as if it were a piece of elastic stretched too far. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (27.6 hour time-lapse sequence; 83 seconds - 35.0 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 4 - The sites of attachment between the myoblast and the surface of the imaging chamber are not properly released, causing the cell to take the draconian measure of severing parts of its own cytoplasm. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (21.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 64 seconds - 27.0 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 5 - Upon close inspection, vacuoles can be observed migrating from the outer edges of the A-10 myoblasts in this time-lapse sequence to other locations in the cells. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (22.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 67 seconds run time - 28.2 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 6 - The myoblast appears to have a strong affinity for the substratum, whereas cells that characteristically exhibit rapid migration, such as neutrophils, often are less attracted to culture surfaces and, therefore, form weaker, less permanent points of adhesion. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (13.6 hour time-lapse sequence; 41 seconds - 17.4 MB).

A-10 Live Cell Video No. 7 - Focal adhesions are usually formed at points where the plasma membrane of a cultured cell is closely associated with the substratum. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL (RealPlayer), or T1/Cable/DSL (Windows Media), or download this video clip in MPEG format (21.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 64 seconds - 27.1 MB).