ABSTRACT
Recent advances in the biology of cell adhesion have focused on the identification and characterization of cell adhesion molecules, which mediate the adhesive interactions. The biological relevance of cell adhesion molecules has been defined using functional assays, which have two basic aspects: biophysical definition of adherence and biochemical alterations of cell adhesion molecules. Although biochemical studies, such as the development of monoclonal antibodies against cell adhesion molecules and the use of biological response modifiers to treat cells, have attracted much attention, the biophysical basis for any functional assay is the mechanical strength of adhesiveness. Only when a scale of adhesiveness is defined in a controlled experiment can the effects of biochemical manipulations be compared quantitatively.
