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. 2012;7(8):e42033.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042033. Epub 2012 Aug 31.

Innate non-specific cell substratum adhesion

William F Loomis  1 , Danny Fuller, Edgar Gutierrez, Alex Groisman, Wouter-Jan Rappel
Affiliations

Innate non-specific cell substratum adhesion

William F Loomis et al. PLoS One. 2012.

Abstract

Adhesion of motile cells to solid surfaces is necessary to transmit forces required for propulsion. Unlike mammalian cells, Dictyostelium cells do not make integrin mediated focal adhesions. Nevertheless, they can move rapidly on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. We have found that adhesion to such surfaces can be inhibited by addition of sugars or amino acids to the buffer. Treating whole cells with αlpha-mannosidase to cleave surface oligosaccharides also reduces adhesion. The results indicate that adhesion of these cells is mediated by van der Waals attraction of their surface glycoproteins to the underlying substratum. Since glycoproteins are prevalent components of the surface of most cells, innate adhesion may be a common cellular property that has been overlooked.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Microfluidic adhesion assay.
A. Eight chambers and their interconnecting channels were constructed by soft lithography in 5 mm high blocks of PDMS that could be held on cover slips by vacuum. B. Cells were spread on cover slips such that approximately 500 cells were initially found in each chamber. Buffer was introduced into the inlet at a pressure of 30 inches water and the chambers imaged every 2 minutes. The number of remaining cells was automatically recorded at each time and normalized to the initial number of cells in the chamber. The flow rate was least in chamber #1 and doubled in each succeeding chamber.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Adhesion to different surfaces.
A. The kinetics of detachment of cells in chamber #8 (6.5 Pa) was followed for 40 minutes. The remaining fraction of cells is presented on a log scale to show the first order kinetics of detachment from untreated glass (black), Sylon glass (blue), BSA glass (red) and polystyrene (green). Average of at least 5 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.D. B. The remaining fraction of cells after 40 minutes in chambers 2–8 is shown for cells on untreated glass (black), Sylon glass (blue), BSA glass (red) and polystyrene (green). Average of at least 5 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.E.M. C. The effects of glucose (50 mM), amino acids, and both glucose and amino acids of the kinetics of detachment in chamber #8. Average of at least 10 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.D. D. The effects of glucose (50 mM), amino acids, and both glucose and amino acids on the fraction of cells remaining after 40 minutes on glass in the different chambers. Average of at least 10 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.E.M.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Inhibition of adhesion on different surfaces.
The effects of glucose (red), amino acids (green), and both glucose and amino acids (blue) on the fraction of cells remaining after 40 minutes on A. BSA glass, B. Sylon glass and C. polystyrene. D. L-glucose, arginine, valine, histidine, glycine and imidazole were added at 50 mM to the adhesion assay buffer. The fraction of cells remaining after 40 minutes in the different chambers were calculated. Average of at least 4 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.E.M.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Concentration dependence for sugar inhibition of adhesion.
A. The shear stress necessary to detach half the cells (S50) in buffer, glucose, galactose, or mannose from glass was determined at 40 minutes. Average of at least 4 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.E.M. B. Enzymatic modification of adhesion. Cells were treated with 1 unit of aλπηα-mannosidase (red dashed line) or beta-galactosidase (green dotted line) for 30 minutes and their adhesion to glass compared to that of untreated cells (solid black line). The fraction of cells remaining after 40 minutes in the different chambers were calculated. Average of at least 5 independent experiments. The bars indicate the S.E.M.
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