Tumor cell adhesion of human colon carcinoma cells with different metastatic properties to extracellular matrix under dynamic conditions of laminar flow

Purpose: Shear forces have an important influence on cell adhesion and other cellular functions, and malignant cell lines appear to possess different adhesive properties under static and dynamic conditions. Thus, we analyzed human colon carcinoma cell adhesion under dynamic conditions and examined the interactions of HT-29 colon carcinoma cells of different metastatic properties with various immobilized ECM components. Methods: Wall shear adhesion threshold (WSAT), dynamic adhesion rate (DAR), and adhesion stabilization rate (ASR) were compared between the cell lines using dynamic conditions in a laminar flow chamber by decreasing the flow (wall shear stress) of cell suspensions. Patterns of cell adhesion under dynamic conditions were compared to adhesive interactions in static microtiterplate assays. Results: Poorly metastatic HT-29P cells adhered six times more than highly metastatic cells to type I collagen under laminar fluid flow, whereas only highly metastatic HT-29LMM showed adhesive interactions with fibronectin under static and dynamic conditions. High rates of cell adhesion to collagen IV were found under static, but not under dynamic, conditions. Conclusions: Although poorly and highly metastatic HT-29 cells express similar patterns of integrins, they differ in their adhesive properties to ECM components under static and dynamic conditions. Hydrodynamic shear forces appear to influence adhesive properties of HT-29 cells, and differences between dynamic and static cell adhesion were found. Received: 23 November 1999 / Accepted: 4 May 2000