Effects of temperature, metabolic and cytoskeletal inhibitors on the rate of BHK cell adhesion to polystyrene.

Adhesion of baby hamster kidney fibroblasts (BHK cells) to a Falcon tissue culture flask was measured under various physiological conditions. While 75-80% of the fibroblasts adhere at temperatures from 19-50 degrees, cellular adhesion decreased dramatically below 19 degrees. Less than 10% of the cells adhere to the substratum even after prolonged incubations at temperatures of 8 degrees or below. This lack of adhesion at low temperatures cannot be overcome by the application of increased gravitational force to the cells. No correlation exists between cellular ATP concentrations or respiration rates and the rate of cell adhesion to the substratum. One millimolar Na F and 1 mM 2,4 dinitrophenol together lower cellular ATP concentration by 95% but adhesion is reduced by only 50%. NaN3 and KCN greatly lower cellular ATP concentrations without a corresponding inhibition of adhesion. Inhibition of cellular respiration by these compounds occurs at lower concentrations than does the inhibition of adhesion. Two micrograms/milliliters of cytochalasin B inhibits adhesion by 90%, 0.1 mM vinblastine sulphate or colchicine by less than 50% and 50 microgram/ml colcemid by less than 30%. Fixing the cells with formaldehyde, hardening their membranes with ZnCl2 or treating the cells with toluene, all cause an inhibition in adhesion. Again, application of increased gravitational force cannot overcome these latter inhibitions of BHK cell adhesion to the surface of the flasks.