The inhibition of cell spreading on a cellulose substrate (cuprophan) induces an apoptotic process via a mitochondria-dependent pathway

Cell shape was found to be a strong indicator of whether individual cells grow or die, and may play an important role in controlling apoptosis as well as cell growth. We compared here the behaviour of rounded Swiss 3T3 cells aggregated on a cellulose cuprophan membrane to those cultured on dish polystyrene. We demonstrated that cells aggregated on cellulose substrates for up to 48 h underwent programmed cell death that was associated with phosphatidylserine flipping and caspase 9 and caspase 3 activation, suggesting a mitochondria-dependent apoptotic process. In addition, we found that this phenomenon cannot be entirely explained by disengagement of α5β1 integrin ligation.