Cell motility of fetal hepatocytes in short-term culture.

The motility of freshly isolated fetal rat hepatocytes using time-lapse cinemicroscopy was documented and the fetal liver was stained by the DACH-HMM method for F-actin. This approach allowed direct correlation of cellular activity with the distribution of cytoplasmic actin filaments. The fetal liver cells were highly active, and showed ruffling, pseudopodia, and random forceful movements which caused the cells to pull apart from each other. The behavior of these cells differed markedly from that of adult liver cells which remain cohesive and show orderly contractions of bile canaliculi. Cytoplasmic actin in fetal hepatocytes lacked the predominantly pericanalicular distribution observed in adult cells. Random spontaneous cellular contraction and locomotion of fetal liver cells give way during maturation to orderly, forceful contractions of bile canaliculi in fully differentiated cells and is accompanied by a redistribution of the cellular actin. These finding collectively suggest a correlation between actin filament distribution, hepatocellular development, and functional maturation.