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Updated: May 12, 2026

Static Adhesion Assay for the Study of Integrin Activation in T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 13, 2014
Expression of CD44 confers a new adhesive phenotype on transfected cells
T St John1, J Meyer, R Idzerda
1Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104.
Abstract:
The function of the CD44 glycoprotein as an adhesion molecule was directly tested by transformation of a CD44 cDNA into mouse fibroblasts. This cDNA was expressed as a heavily modified cell surface protein reactive with monoclonal antibodies that recognize glycoproteins now identified in primates as CD44. Independent transfectants exhibited a new self-adhesive phenotype, forming large aggregates when placed in suspension. In variants derived from a clone of cells, aggregation competence segregated with expression of the transfected gene. This CD44-mediated adhesion was blocked specifically by monoclonal antibodies binding one immunologically defined region of CD44. Nontransfected L cells did not self-aggregate but were capable of adhering to the transfectants, indicating that at least one ligand for this adhesion molecule is expressed by mouse fibroblasts.
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