A morphological study of cultured endodermal cells of chick embryo: characteristics of adhesion, spreading and locomotion.

A study is made of the morphological characteristics of the endodermic cells of the stage 5 chick embryo by means of in vitro cell culture techniques. The scanning electron microscope revealed that the endodermic cells in cultures were rounded, tended to be smooth and had few blebs and microvilli. Regarding cell projections typical of culture cells, such as filopodia, lamellipodia and pseudopodia, there was a noteworthy scarcity after 12 h growth, although greater cellular activity was observed at 24 h, characterized by the presence of filopodia and an ability of the cells to form clusters on the substratum. These facts show the morphological and adhesion movements of the endodermal cells studied to be related mainly with the presence of filopodia as the most abundant cell projections.