Cell migration influences collagen gel contraction.

Collagen gel contraction is a striking feature where the presence of serum factors seems to be critical. However, the mechanism by which these factors control the contraction process is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of these studies was to examine by dynamic and morphological approaches, the influence of serum factors on fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction. Cellular behavior was assessed in terms of cell migration which was related to the effectiveness of the contraction process. Media containing serum, fibronectin-depleted serum, and a synthetic culture medium were employed to modulate cellular organization in the three-dimensional gel. The data suggested that the gel contraction process is controlled by cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. The absence of plasma fibronectin in culture medium allowed faster cell adhesion and spreading on collagen fibrils, but did not influence the contraction rate. Serum factors, other than fibronectin, led to a less extensive gel contraction due to the impairment of cell migration. Therefore, cell migration seems to be an important factor by which the effectiveness of gel contraction is controlled.