Live-Cell Imaging: Cell Motility

African Water Mongoose Skin Fibroblast Cells (A. P. Mongoose Line)

The A. P. Mongoose cell line was established at The Naval Biosciences Laboratory (NBL) in Oakland, California from the skin of an African water mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). The cells exhibit fibroblast morphology, and similar to other fibroblast lines, are among the easiest cells to grow in culture. Cell biologists hypothesize that the ability of fibroblasts to grow so readily outside of the body is associated with their central role in the healing of wounds, which necessitates their proliferation when confronted with injury or other less than optimal conditions. Fibroblasts are also generally considered to exhibit relatively solitary lifestyles, which some have suggested may also be a factor in their favorable growth in culture.

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 1 - Due to the treadmilling of actin filaments in the cortex, cell surface projections, such as lamellipodia, repeatedly are extended and contracted, as illustrated in this time-lapse sequence. 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 (16.6 hour time-lapse sequence; 50 seconds - 21.0 MB).

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 2 - Like microscopic street sweepers, actively locomoting A. P. Mongoose fibroblasts attempt to clean up all of the cytoplasmic debris they encounter on the cover glass surface. 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 (24.0 hour time-lapse sequence; 72 seconds - 30.2 MB).

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 3 - Numerous vacuoles are rapidly produced along an A. P. Mongoose cell’s leading margin and then are transported to the central region of the cell in this time-lapse video sequence. 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 (22.6 hour time-lapse sequence; 68 seconds - 28.6 MB).

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 4 - Cells in close proximity to a solid surface, such as the bottom of a culture dish or imaging chamber, must overcome the viscosity of that substratum in order to locomote. 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 (23.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 70 seconds - 29.5 MB).

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 5 - Often, fibroblasts will alter their travel direction following a collision, but cultured A. P. Mongoose cells have a tendency to simply crawl over any other cells they meet. 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 (20.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 61 seconds - 25.7 MB).

A. P. Mongoose Live Cell Video No. 6 - The focal adhesions formed by the mongoose cells are utilized similar to microscopic feet, which remain stationary as the fibroblasts travel over them but are then typically released as they become increasingly distal from the leading cell margin. 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 (27.0 hour time-lapse sequence; 81 seconds - 33.9 MB).