Mouse glomerular culture.

A method is described for the culture of isolated intact mouse glomeruli. Cultures showed adherent glomeruli after 2 days and from 2-4 days a monolayer of cells began to develop around the points of adherence. The predominant cell (Type I) was 80-200 micrometer in diameter with cytoplasmic extensions, later becoming polyhedral and often multinucleated. Type II spindle cells, 70-100 micrometer in length, were less prominent in the earlier stages and later formed sheaves between Type I cells. Small phagocytic Type III cells, 10-20 micrometer in diameter, were not prominent in cultures from normal kidneys and tended to form small clusters on top of the Type I cell monolayer.