A Time-lapse Study of Effects of Anticellular Antibody on Membrane Mobility and Phagocytic Activity of Hela Cells

Phagocytosis is a recognized activity of most cells cul tured in vitro, and HeLa cells are in termediate in phagocytic activity (2). T he phagocytic activity of HeLa cells is inhibi ted by anticellular ant ibody, and this inhibi t ion occurs with concentrat ions of ant icel lular an t ibody which are not cytotoxic in complement-free systems and do not al ter uptake of tr i t iated thymidine and ur idine (3). Electron microscopic examinat ion of HeLa cells reacted wi th anticel lular an t ibody demonst ra ted a marked folding or agglut inat ion of the plasma m e m b r a n e (3). Easton, Goldberg, and Green (4) reported similar changes in the morphology of ascites tumor ceils t reated wi th ant icel lular ant i body and they demonst ra ted ferrit in-labeled ant ibody between the folds of the membrane . These observations suggest tha t ant icel lular an t ibody causes agglut inat ion of contiguous portions of the plasma m e m b r a n e which may fix the m e m b r a n e and prevent evaginat ion and invaginat ion of the cell per iphery essential for phagocytosis. To evaluate this hypothesis, we studied the effect of an t i -HeLa an t ibody on the mobil i ty of the p lasma m e m b r a n e of HeLa cells wi th t ime-lapse cinemicrography. T he effect of an t ibody on memb rane mobil i ty was compared wi th its effect on the capacity of the cells to phagocytose staphylococci. As an t ibody fragments obta ined by papa in digestion are un iva len t (5), they would combine wi th the plasma m e m b r a n e bu t would not agglutinate. T he effect of an t ibody fragments on phagocytosis and m e m b r a n e mobil i ty was evaluated also. M A T E R I A L S A N D M E T H O D S