Morphological behavior of cultured bovine adrenal medulla capillary endothelial cells.

Bovine adrenal medulla capillary endothelial cells were isolated and cloned, and their morphological behaviors in vitro were examined. In the culture of primary or early passage, one type of colony formed intracellular lumina both on the dish and in the three dimensional collagen gel. Another type proliferated well and showed morphology ranging from slender-shape to cobblestone shape, and were easily cloned. Cloned cells which showed slender-shapes formed tubular network on plastic dish after addition of PMA, OAG or vanadate, and these cells also formed multicellular tubules in the three dimensional collagen gel. However, the formation of diaphragmed fenestrae by these slender-shape clones was rare. One clone which showed cobblestone shape formed diaphragmed fenestrae, when cultured on collagen gel for more than one month. Isolated colonies or clones showed heterogeneity of cell shape, angiogenic behaviors and fenestrae formation.