CELL ASSOCIATION PATTERN IN AGGREGATES CONTROLLED BY MULTIPLE CELL-CELL ADHESION MECHANISMS

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Abstract
Apparently there are 2 mechanisms for the aggregation of Chinese hamster V79 cells, a Ca2+-dependent one and a Ca2+-independent one. To examine if each of these mechanisms contributed differently to the various aspects of cell aggregation, the morphology of V79 cell aggregates, pretreated so that they were provided with only 1 of the 2 adhesion mechanisms, was compared by light microscopy and EM. Adhesion among cells with only the Ca2+-dependent mechanism was very tight, with the formation of gap and intermediate junctions. Cells were arranged in a rod or dendric shape in aggregates. In aggregates of cells with only the Ca2+-independent mechanism, cells were loosely attached to each other without the formation of specialized junctions and the aggregates were of globular shape. In aggregates of cells with both mechanisms, both characteristics of these 2 aggregates were found. Clones [4] of V79 cells, which formed colonies with different morphology when they were grown in soft agar, were isolated. Such differences were due to the different activity of the Ca2+-independent mechanism among these clones. Apparently 2 adhesion mechanisms play different roles in the cell arrangement in aggregates.