Specific cell-to-cell adhesion under flow conditions.

An experimental method of measuring intercellular adhesion based on cell interactions in Poiseuille flow is presented. Hydrodynamic conditions of suspension flow, concentration of the suspension, and the size of cells allows determination of the capture efficiency, which is a measure of cell adhesiveness. The measurements of cell aggregation were performed with thymus cells and lectin from Ricinus communis. On the ground of theoretical description of the process of cell aggregation, it was possible to estimate the diffusion constant of the receptors in the cell membrane, which is equal to 5.6 X 10(-11) cm2/s. This value is in good agreement with the results of direct measurements of the diffusion constant of the lectin receptor. In the case of formalin-treated cells, the diffusion constant of the lectin receptors is equal to 6.8 X 10(-12) cm2/s. The total number of the receptor sites on the thymus cell surface for lectin R. communis and the affinity constant were also estimated.