title: In vitro analysis of neuron-glial cell interactions during cellular migration.
abstract: We used time-lapse microscopy to study the in vitro migration of neuronal cells from developing chick ciliary ganglion. These cells, when dissociated and cultured in a chemically defined medium, are able to migrate and to associate into clusters. We focused our attention on the study of the distribution of neuronal velocity components. Quantitative analysis of cell trajectories allowed us to demonstrate that, in many cells, velocities are well described by the Langevin equation, when deterministic components of the forces acting on the cells are taken into account. We also have shown that the majority of neurons whose movement is not purely random migrate in association with glial cells. We conclude that glial cells, by guiding neurons during migration, play an important role in the cell organization in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Dipartmento de Scienze Chimiche Alimentari, Farmaceutiche e Farmacologiche, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Distasi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ariano
authors.forename: Pollyanna
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zamburlin
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferraro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002450:Cell Communication; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D006801:Humans; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009068:Movement; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D016011:Normal Distribution; D012984:Software