Cell size and mutual cell adhesion

Abstract

The strength of the long-range electrostatic repulsion forces on HeLa cells is measured by agglutinative titration using low molecular weight polylysine (M.W. 11,000). Repulsion forces, found to be present on the smaller HeLa cells from density-inhibited suspension cultures, are weakened by incubation of the cells in hypotonic NaCl solutions. Repulsion forces, found to be absent on the larger cells from fast growing cultures, can be induced on these cells by incubation in hypertonic NaCl solutions. Both effects of anisotonicity are reversible, and disappear on restoration of the medium to normal tonicity. Induction of repulsion forces on fast growing cells is prevented by previous treatment of the cells with neuraminidase. Neuraminidase also abolishes repulsion on density-inhibited cells. It is proposed that alterations of the cell size, produced by anisotonicity or occurring during growth in isotonic suspension medium, affect mutual cell adhesiveness by modifying the strength of the repulsion forces generated by cell surface sialic acids.

Impact of Growth Phase and Natural Organic Matter on the Attachment Kinetics of Salmonella typhimurium to Solid Surfaces

“…Some of the important factors found to contribute to the transport of bacteria are electrostatic interactions between cells and collector surfaces Hong and Brown, 2008), zeta potentials of cells (Elimelech et al, 2000), cell type (Chen and Walker, 2007;Haznedaroglu et al, 2009), cell size (Deman et al, 1976), surface charge density (Claessens et al, 2006), hydrophobic interactions (Schà fer et al, 1998), outer membrane content (Gross et al, 2001;Kuznar and Elimelech, 2004), viability (Banning et al, 2003), and quorum sensing (Tomlin et al, 2005;Eboigbodin et al, 2006). Natural organic matter (NOM) is a complex mixture of different organic compounds, mostly derived from the decay process of plant material (Nissinen et al, 2001).…”