Cell surface changes during electromagnetic field exposure.

Fibroblasts from 5 1/2-day-old chick embryos go through a sequential series of changes when exposed to a constant electromagnetic field (EMF) of 10 V/cm. These changes include rounding up, becoming bipolar in shape, assuming a cylindrical profile, elongating perpendicular to the EMF, and migrating to the cathode. These morphological changes are associated with changes of the cell surface, which include the formation of filopodia and extensive sheet-like contacts on the cathodic cell surface, the retraction of processes and the formation of focal contacts on the anodic cell surface.