Figure 2
Spatial configuration of hepatocytes controls circadian time of the cells.
(a) Hepatocytes were cultured on dishes coated with TIC, TIVC, laminin and PVLA at a high density (1 × 107 cells/dish). Hepatocytes were also cultured on dishes coated with EHS gel at both high and low densities (2.5 × 106 cells/dish). The morphological appearance of cultured hepatocytes at 48 h is shown. The scale bar indicates 100 μm. (b) Hepatocytes were plated on TIC- and EHS gel-coated dishes at a high density. Northern blotting was used to determine the Dbp mRNA level. Hepatocytes were collected at 4-h intervals. The open circles and filled circles represent TIC and EHS gel, respectively. The open and solid bars indicate light and dark conditions where the animals were kept before the preparation of hepatocytes. (c) Hepatocytes were cultured on an EHS gel-coated dish at high and low densities. Northern blotting was used to determine the Dbp mRNA level in rat primary hepatocytes cultured on EHS gel at high (solid lines) and low (dotted lines) densities. (d) Hepatocytes were cultured on dishes coated with TIC (
), PVLA (
) and EHS gel (
) at a high density. Northern blotting was used to determine the Dbp mRNA level. Two time independent experiments were performed.
