The use of fluorescent antimyosin and DNA labeling for the estimation of the myoblast and myocyte population of primary rat heart cell cultures.
Cell division in heart muscle cells progressively ceases during the development of the rat heart, leading to an adult stage with muscle cells incapable of cell division. We have quantitatively determined the number of dividing and nondividing heart muscle cells in cultures derived from different stages of the developing rat heart with the use of 3HTdR continuous labeling and fluorescent antimyosin staining. The cultures were derived from 14 and 17 day postcoital (dPC) rat embryos and from 1 and 4 day postnatal (dPN) rats. The percent nondividing cells increased with development and the age of the postnatal rat. The percent nondividing cells in 14 dPC equalled 21%, 17 dPC equalled 25%, 1 dPN equalled 44%, and 4 dPN equalled 60%. This method for the quantitative determination of dividing and nondividing cells in the developing rat heart provides a model that is useful for the study of the mechanism of the loss of cell division capacity.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D009218:Myosins / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats
D004247:DNA; D009218:Myosins