Change in surface properties of rat basophilic leukemia cells caused by adhesion to solid substrate

Rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL) change their functional properties when they adhere to a solid substrate. The change in the functional property of RBL cells may be accompanied by some change in electrokinetic properties of the cell surfaces. The adhesion to a glass surface can be suppressed temporarily by suspending the cells in a teflon tube. In the present paper the surface properties have been studied with electrophoresis and electro-osmosis measurements for cells both non-adhered and adhered on to glass, and by the analysis of the data with the electrokinetic theory for ''soft'' surfaces. It was found that the RBL cells change their surface properties by adhering on to glass, as shown by change in the charge density (zN) from -0.016 to -0.025 M, and change in the ''softness'' parameter (1/lambda) from 2.0 to 2.3 nm. The results show that the negative charge density in the surface layer increases and that the surface of RBL cells becomes softer upon adhesion.