Gender-related differences in adhesion, growth and differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells are enhanced in serum-deprived cultures.
In 1-day cultures with 10% serum, the number of rat aortic smooth muscle cells (VSMC) adhering to the growth support was similar in cells from both sexes, whereas in 1% serum, the number of VSMC from male donors was lower. In 10% serum medium, the doubling time was significantly shorter and the number of [3H]thymidine-labelled nuclei was higher in cells of high passage from male rats. In serum-free medium, these differences increased and were also seen in cells of low passage number. Morphologically, the cells in male-derived cultures at higher passage number were mainly spindle-shaped, formed well-developed 'hills and valleys' and possessed longitudinally oriented bundles of alpha-actin-containing microfilaments. Most cells from female rats were flat, polygonal, the multilayered 'hills' were less prominent, with alpha-actin microfilaments forming a mesh-like network.
Bacáková
L
L
Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague. lucy@biomed.cas.cz
Mares
V
V
Lisá
V
V
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012737:Sex Factors
D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free