Journal of Cell Science, Vol 73, Issue 1 335-345, Copyright © 1985 by Company of Biologists

JOURNAL ARTICLES

The specificity and stability of the triton-extracted cytoskeletal framework of gerbil fibroma cells

M Gilbert and AB Fulton

Cellular meshworks and topography of gerbil fibroma cells can be preserved by gentle extraction procedures using Triton X-100. We determined the stability and specificity of these cytoskeletal frameworks by measuring extraction rate and its sensitivity to exogenous protein. Two buffers were used, which mimicked the intracellular and extracellular ionic environments. With both buffers, extraction was nearly complete at 5 min. This pattern of extraction was seen both in 5- and 9-day-old cultures. The same pattern of extraction was seen when three different dilutions of cells were examined the second day after plating. Thus, extraction rate was largely independent of minor variations in ionic composition, age in culture, or cell density. Specificity of the cytoskeletal frameworks so produced was determined by competition with two different exogenous proteins (bovine serum albumin or ovalbumin), which did not remove any additional material from the cytoskeletal frameworks, even with over 10% exogenous protein in the extraction buffer. This pattern of extraction is not unique to gerbil fibroma cells. A similar pattern of extraction was seen for a series of cells: mouse 3T3 cells, 3T6 cells and SVPY 3T3 cells. These experiments indicate that the cytoskeletal framework produced by Triton extraction under appropriate conditions is stable after extraction for a period of 10 min or longer, and that the structures are specific, in that they are not disrupted by the presence of exogenous proteins.

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