Figure 2. Cell-cell adhesion strength increases on loss of cell-substrate contact.

(A) Quantification of the strength of cell sheets suspended for zero, one or two days post dispase-lifting. Cell-cell adhesion strength increases significantly from zero to one day, but not from one to two days post dispase-treatment. The y axis represents relative time to sheet disruption, i.e. sheet strength, with values normalized to the time (100%) at zero days. (B) The change in strength of the suspended cell sheets is independent of post-confluence effects. *p<0.05 and ** p<0.01 relative to the control at zero days.