Surface proteins of young and senescent cultured avian fibroblasts.

Proliferation of senescent cultured chick fibroblasts is arrested at densities that are 3-4 fold lower than densities inhibiting growth of young cells. The effects of density and growth rate of young and aged cultures on the accessibility of their surface proteins to external iodination were studied. LETS glycoprotein and a protein of 110,000 daltons are the major iodinated proteins of resting, highly dense and of sparse young cells, respectively. By contrast, LETS is minimally exposed on undividing, relatively disperse old cells. Therefore, exposure of LETS is correlated with cell density rather than with growth rate.