Biological cell detachment kinetics from an inert substrate

A radial flow chamber was used to experimentally study the detachment kinescopes of deformable (Dictyostelium discoideum) and non-deformable (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. In both cases, phenomenological laws were derived, defining detachment efficiency and a detachment rate. A microscopic model was proposed, which explains the stress dependence of the detachment rate and of the efficiency and their dependence when the surface is changed. The specificities of living cells compared to passive bodies and more precisely the role of the cytoskeleton are outlined. It is shown that the presence of the cytoskeleton retards cells peeling off from the surface due to the emission of pseudopods, whereas cells without cytoskeleton peel off in a passive manner. These observations set the limits of the present approach and the necessary ingredients in the further developments.