ABSTRACT
A. Importance of Cell-Cell Interactions Most important biological and pathological phenomena are heavily dependent on interactions between cells and other cells or tissues. Indeed, proliferation and differentiation, arguably the most essential properties ofliving cells, are often regulated by adhesive interactions. Thus, most cells need to adhere to a surface in order to divide (Folkman and Moscona, 1978) and this requirement, known as "anchorage dependence," may be lost during tumoral transformation. Conversely, intercellular contact may inhibit proliferation (Caveda et al., 1996) and this "contact inhibition" may also be lost in tumoral cells. Further, gene expression was found to be modulated by adhesive interactions (Cunningham, 1995).
