Studies of cell deformability. IV. A possible role of calcium in cell contact phenomena.

Cells grown in suspension culture were incubated with EDTA-disodium salt and shown to have more easily deformable surfaces and raised electrophoretic mobility than controls, following this treatment. The reversibility of these observations by the addition of calcium ions, and other parallel experiments, support the conclusion that, in these cells, calcium is bound to anionic sites at the cell periphery, some of which are located at the cellular electrokinetic surface. These cells should, therefore, exhibit demonstrable calcium-sensitive aggregation, if current theories on the role of calcium in the physiological situation are correct. The fact that no calcium-sensitive aggregation was observed suggests that calcium does not form "bridges" between the adjacent anionic sites on different cells, and does not act directly by its effects on the diffuse electrical double-layer in this situation. An alternative hypothesis is advanced for the role played by calcium in cell adhesion and separation processes.