Surface changes during retraction-induced spreading of fibroblasts

Retraction of the trailing edge of an embryonic chick heart fibroblast results in an abrupt increase in protrusive activity at the leading edge of the cell. This increase was studied with time-lapse cinemicrography and scanning electron microscopy. Increased spreading following retraction results primarily from an increase in the duration of the extension phase of lamellipodial spreading. Much ruffling accompanies this increased spreading, particularly during its earliest phase. Upon retraction of the trailing edge, folds appear on the surface of the retracted tail and adjacent cell body and, soon after, microvilli-like structures appear as well. Once the moving cell has fully respread, however, the upper surface is once again smooth and free of folds and microvilli. Artificial detachment of a spreading lamella with a microneedle, and its consequent retraction, also causes increased protrusive activity of the remaining lamellae of the cell. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that retraction of one part of the cell makes surface membrane and cytoplasm available for forming protrusions elsewhere.