Some effects of antimetabolites on cell detachment.

Actinomycin D, cycloheximide, puromycin and ouabain facilitated the detachment of Ehrlich ascites tumour cells from glass surfaces. The results suggest that the altered detachment pattern is due to impaired synthesis of constituents of the cell periphery, which results in a decrease in its mechanical strength. These reagents have been shown by others to reduce the rate of cell aggregation in various shaker-incubators, and observations of this type have generally been accepted as evidence of diminished cell adhesion. The present results support the alternative interpretation that the reagents act through their effects on cell separation, which is independent of adhesion rate.