EQUILIBRIUM MEASUREMENTS OF EMBRYONIC CHICK CELL ADHESIVENESS, I. SHAPE EQUILIBRIUM IN CENTRIFUGAL FIELDS*
Abstract
Sorting-out and other morphogenetic rearrangements of embryonic cells have been attributed to the spontaneous movements of mutually adhesive cells toward configurations of minimal adhesive free energy. Testing this hypothesis requires measuring those particular adhesive properties that would determine such equilibrium configurations.
We have devised a modification of the sessile drop method for making the required measurements.
This communication is a preliminary report of experiments demonstrating that intercellular adhesiveness is reflected in the equilibrium shapes of centrifuged cell aggregates.
Footnotes
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↵ * Supported by grants GB-2315 and GB-5759X from the National Science Foundation. This work is part of a dissertation submitted by H. M. P. to the Faculty of The Johns Hopkins University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. H. M. P. has been a Public Health Service predoctoral trainee supported through training grant GM-716 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to the Thomas C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics at The Johns Hopkins University. He has also held Public Health Service fellowship 1-F-1-GM30, 880-01 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
