Epithelial cells, like the MDOK line, tend to form small colonies in culture. Over time, these colonies generally join together to form sheets, similar to the epithelial sheets that line the internal and external surfaces of the body and its organs. This behavior of the cells is demonstrated by two separate colonies of ovine kidney epithelial cells that slowly migrate toward each other during this digital video and eventually succeed in forming a connection.

Early during the high speed playback of the time-lapse sequence, an MDOK cell can be observed carrying out the typical divisional process characteristic of many animal cells in culture. Notice, the cell retracts all of its surface protrusions and assumes a spherical geometry before undergoing mitosis. The two daughter cells produced develop numerous blebs on their surfaces and undergo various contortions before they completely settle on the substratum. The flattened epithelial cells resemble misshapen fried eggs, each with a rim of lamellipodia.

In contrast, shortly after the successful division of the previously discussed cell, another MDOK cell attempts to divide. The epithelial cell is unable to undertake the typical pre-mitotic spherical form and instead is rapidly warped into a variety of incongruous figures. The distorted cell seems to stall at this point, but near the end of the video a neighboring multinucleate cell becomes entwined with it, producing an even larger, more confused mass of incompletely divided cellular material. The mass ceases to move and appears to be dead when the sequence ends.