Characterization and applications of serum-free induced adhesion in Jurkat suspension cells

In this study, we demonstrate that the presence of serum in different media plays an important role in inducing transient and reversible adhesion in Jurkat suspension cells. Attachment of Jurkat cells in two distinct media formulations (serum-fortified and serum-free) to untreated polystyrene (PS), plasma-treated PS, and fibronectin-coated PS was compared. Additional analysis characterized the occurrence of this transient cell adhesion, including attachment rate, reversibility of attachment, and viability and preservation of phenotype in cells during and after attachment. As a demonstration of the utility of this technique, a few applications of transiently adhering Jurkat cells are shown which would be otherwise difficult with freely suspended cells, such as increased gene delivery, confocal-based apoptosis detection, and real-time electric-field effect monitoring in Jurkat cells.