Cell rounding with «Rip off» detachment

Abstract

The «rounding up» characteristic of mitotic, apoptotic, transformed and non-transformed cells appears to be initiated by various causative factors. Cytoskeletal and adhesion modulations have been implicated. Endocytic intemalization via large channels seen in the rounding of arnoeba and human cells alike, implicate a third mechanism, viz. membrane flow and fusion, where «rip off» detachment sheds parts of the cell to achieve freedom. Mutilation as a means for detachment is also used by moving fibroblasts, linking shape change with movement via a distinct mechanism. While rounding may follow detachment and detachment may follow rounding, «rip off» mutilation, whether selfinflicted or imposed, and modulation of stickiness are fundamentally different processes