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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1973 May;70(5):1569–1573. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1569

A Quantitative Assay for Intercellular Adhesion

Bernt T Walther 1,2, Rolf Öhman 1,2,*, Saul Roseman 1,2
PMCID: PMC433544  PMID: 4351182

Abstract

Intercellular adhesion is measured by a new method based on determination of the rates of attachment of single cells to confluent cell monolayers. The procedure is simple, rapid, and reproducible. Specific and nonspecific intercellular adhesions can be quantitated and distinguished from each other, and from the adhesion to glass (or plastic). The rate of adhesion of single cells to the monolayer is characteristic of more than 80% of the single-cell population. This method, therefore, provides a means for study of the molecular basis of intercellular adhesion.

Keywords: confluent cell monolayers, homologous and heterologous cell adhesions

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Selected References

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