Cell adhesion to hydroxyl groups of a monolayer film

We have studied cells on chemically defined monomolecular films of the long-chain alcohol docosanol. Langmuir-Blodgett films of the alcohol were deposited on glass coverslips, previously made hydrophobic with octadecyl groups. This gives films in which the alcohol headgroups face outwards to the water. Molecular orientation and film integrity were shown by a fluorescence adsorption test. Cell contacts on the films were observed in media without proteins by interference reflection microscopy (IRM) and the mechanics of detachment were examined by hydrodynamic shearing in a flow chamber. Cell contact with docosanol was compared with that on an adjacent area of octadecyl glass without a monolayer. Dictyostelium amoebae settled and spread on both docosanol and octadecyl glass, but little or no locomotion was seen on docosanol. On octadecyl glass the amoebae moved actively, forming ultrathin cytoplasmic lamellae, which look dark under IRM, and left distinctive trails of membranous debris. Hydrodynamic shearing showed that the amoebae stuck strongly to both surfaces and could not be removed from either at the maximum attainable wall shear stress of 6Nm-2. Red blood cells also adhered to both surfaces and removal from both occurred between 1 and 3Nm-2. IRM and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies indicated that this force leads to a minimal measure of red cell adhesion, since removal often involved the breakage of cytoplasmic tethers. Our results show that alcoholic -OH groups, in a two-dimensional array, provide a surface that is strongly adhesive for cells. No other method has made it possible to demonstrate cell adhesion purely to -OH groups, in a known orientation and density, and in the absence of any other functional groups on the interface.