[Relative spacing of the microtubules and intermediate filaments during fibroblast spreading in culture]

Abstract

Using double immunofluorescence staining, microtubules and intermediate filaments were shown to have similar distribution in the substrate-spread mouse embryo fibroblasts. However, in cells spreading on the substrate, microtubules grow from the centre to the periphery regions quicker than intermediate filaments. We suppose that microtubules may guide the spreading of intermediate filaments from the perinuclear regions to the periphery of the cell during its spreading.