Analysis of endothelial cell locomotion: Differential effects of motility and contact inhibition

Abstract

Video microscopy and digital time‐lapse recording were used to monitor locomotion and proliferation of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells cultured with varying concentrations of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Cell trajectories were reconstructed using a generalized nearest‐neighbor algorithm and analyzed to determine how cell motility is affected by cell‐cell collisions, cell divisions, and increasing cell density. The temporal evolution patterns of the average speed of locomotion for all cells in a culture were computed and the effects of varying bFGF concentrations were analyzed. Intermediate concentrations of bFGF (30 and 50 ng/mL) significantly increased the speed of locomotion above the levels we observed with 0 and 100 ng/mL concentrations of bFGF. Increases in cell density due to proliferation were immediately accompanied by a decrease in the average speed of locomotion of the cell population. Finally, the effect of bFGF concentration on the overall cell proliferation rates was assessed. With the addition of 30 or 50 ng/mL of bFGF to the culture media, the observed cell proliferation rates increased significantly. The proliferation rates decreased when the bFGF concentration increased to 100 ng/mL. These results show that bFGF concentrations that increase the motility of BPAE cells also increase the observed cell proliferation rates. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.