Anti-actomyosin. Influence on adhesive behaviour of eukaryotic cells and of cuvierian tubules

The effect of antisera against chicken gizzard smooth-muscle actomyosin and against pectoralis striated-muscle actomyosin on adhesive behaviour of eukaryotic cells (from sea urchin embryos and from a silicious sponge) and of Cuvierian tubules has been studied. The results with a sea urchin cells, which require divalent cations for aggregation, showed that antiserum to chicken gizzard smooth-muscle actomyosin inhibited reaggregation of trypsin-treated cells better than mechanically dissociated cells, while anti-chicken pectoralis striated-muscle had no effect. Primary reaggregation of trypsin-dissociated sponge cells, in the presence of calcium and magnesium, is also inhibitable by anti-gizzard smooth-muscle but not by anti-pectoralis striated-muscle. Anti-gizzard smooth-muscle had no effect on secondary reaggregation of sponge cells mediated by a soluble aggregation factor. Anti-gizzard smooth-muscle inhibited Cuvierian tubule adhesion.