splitting cells

[Richard P. Grant <MDE>]

Ferland Louis H. (ferlandl at ERE.UMontreal.CA) gibbered:


} When I was a student, I was taught the main factor here is that serum is 
} quite rich in protein and quenches the trypsin. 

Quite so.

} [Ca2+] whether it inhibits trypsin, but I do know that it is required
for the 
} integrity of desmosomes, structures involved in cell-cell cohesion. That 

Ahem.  There are also focal contacts in cultured cells, where the actin
cytoskeleton connects to the extracellular matrix via integrins.  This
interaction is divalent-cation (Mg2+ particularly) dependent.  EDTA
chelates Mg2+.

For more info on focal contacts/adhesions, see my thesis at the molbiol
page given in my .sig.  Alberts also has a reasonably nice section on
them.

Richard


--
Richard P. Grant                 University of Oxford
Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~lady0266  http://www.molbiol.ox.ac.uk/~rgrant
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