The external surface of the cell consists of a phospholipid bilayer which carries a carbohydrate-rich coat called the glycocalyx; ionizable groups within the glycocalyx, such as sialic acid (N-acetyl neuraminate), contribute a net negative charge to the cell surface. Many of the carbohydrates that form the glycocalyx are bound to membrane-associated proteins. Each of these components— phospholipid bilayer, carbohydrate-rich coat, membrane-associated protein—has distinct physicochemical characteristics and is abundant. Plasma membranes contain ∼50% protein, ∼45% lipid, and ∼5% carbohydrate by weight. Therefore, each component influences cell interactions with the external environment in important ways. Cells can become attached to surfaces. The surface of interest may be geometrically complex (for example, the surface of another cell, a virus, a fiber, or an irregular object), but this chapter will focus on adhesion between a cell and a planar surface. The consequences of cell–cell adhesion are considered further in Chapter 8 (Cell Aggregation and Tissue Equivalents) and Chapter 9 (Tissue Barriers to Molecular and Cellular Transport). The consequences of cell–substrate adhesion are considered further in Chapter 7 (Cell Migration) and Chapter 12 (Cell Interactions with Polymers). Since the growth and function of many tissue-derived cells required attachment and spreading on a solid substrate, the events surrounding cell adhesion are fundamentally important. In addition, the strength of cell adhesion is an important determinant of the rate of cell migration, the kinetics of cell–cell aggregation, and the magnitude of tissue barriers to cell and molecule transport. Cell adhesion is therefore a major consideration in the development of methods and materials for cell delivery, tissue engineering, and tissue regeneration. The most stable and versatile mechanism for cell adhesion involves the specific association of cell surface glycoproteins, called receptors, and complementary molecules in the extracellular space, called ligands. Ligands may exist freely in the extracellular space, they may be associated with the extracellular matrix, or they may be attached to the surface of another cell. Cell–cell adhesion can occur by homophilic binding of identical receptors on different cells, by heterophilic binding of a receptor to a ligand expressed on the surface of a different cell, or by association of two receptors with an intermediate linker. Cell–matrix adhesion usually occurs by heterophilic binding of a receptor to a ligand attached to an insoluble element of the extracellular matrix.
Molecular basis of sidekick-mediated cell-cell adhesion and specificity