Live-Cell Imaging: Cell Motility

Opossum Kidney Cortex Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cells (OK Line)

The OK cell line was derived from the kidney of an adult female North American opossum (Didelphis marsupialis virginiana) and was originally intended for use as a source of X chromosomes for studies of X inactivation. The line was soon discovered, however, to display many characteristics of kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells and has since been commonly utilized as a cell culture model for the cell type. OK cells exhibit a stable nondiploid chromosomal modal number of 23 and display a variety of receptors in culture, including alpha 2 adrenergic, serotonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptors. Many studies utilizing OK cells focus upon these receptors, some of which are involved in such notable activities as insulin metabolism and the hormonal regulation of phosphate transport and uptake.

OK Live Cell Video No. 1 - A meshwork of actin filaments located directly beneath the plasma membrane is responsible for lamellipodial activity and most other cell surface dynamics. 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 (10.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 31 seconds - 13.2 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 2 - When epithelial cells collide, they tend to adhere to one another along shared margins, where surface extension activity has ceased. 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 (15.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 46 seconds - 19.5 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 3 - OK cells unable to make contact with the substratum appear to have difficulty completing cell division. 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 (15.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 46 seconds - 19.5 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 4 - Cytokinesis generally occurs at the equator of the parent cell, where a temporary contractile ring composed of actin, myosin, and associated proteins is formed. 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 (18.3 hour time-lapse sequence; 55 seconds - 23.3 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 5 - The behavior of cultured OK cells is thought to be a reflection of the way epithelial cells naturally conduct themselves in the body. 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 (21.6 hour time-lapse sequence; 65 seconds - 27.3 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 6 - Migration is most rapid when adhesion between a cell and a surface is at a medium level, rather than very strong or very weak. 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 - 30.1 MB).

OK Live Cell Video No. 7 - As daughter cells become settled on a substratum, the blebbing of their surfaces quickly subsides and wide rims of flattened lamellipodia are extended. 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).