Cell shape and arrangement of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells grown on collagen gels.

Aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) grown on conventional plastic culture dishes have morphological and functional properties of dedifferentiated cells in subculture. We examined the influence of collagen gels on the cell shape and arrangement. The cells grown on collagen gels showed a multilayered growth with formation of nodules. When the edge of the collagen gels was detached from the culture dish, the shape and arrangement of cells on the edge differed from that of the central, still attached region. The cells grown on floating collagen gels exhibited a spindle-like shape and were arranged in concentric circles. These findings suggest that the physical property of the substrate influences the cell shape and arrangement.