Role of cell shape in growth control.

Tissue culture plastic adhesivity was precisely varied by applying different concentrations of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). The extent of cell spreading was thus accurately controlled so that cells cultured on these substrata could be held at any one of a graded series of quantitated cell shapes. Cell shape was found to be tightly coupled to DNA synthesis and growth in nontransformed cells. These findings suggest a mechanism that is important in growth control of mammalian cells, and provide a more fundamental interpretation of such phenomena as density dependent inhibition of cell growth and anchorage dependence.