Contact inhibition

Cell contact inhibition refers to the property of cells to terminate the cell growth and division at a certain cell density.

Properties

The cell contact inhibition is mediated by cell adhesion molecules in cell -cell contacts. This is intended to homeostasis of the cell compound having a fully developed organism are achieved or be replaced with tissue injury in the course of wound healing in part.

Normal cells in cell cultures have an optimal cell density of growth, including a anoikis can lead to premature cell death, about the growth and division is set. In particular, low cell densities compared to tissues in cell culture, the growth rate is the highest, limited only by the Hayflick limit. The higher the cell density, the less the expansion possibilities of the cell without coming into contact with other cells. Depending on the cell type to be set in one or both of cells of a cell-cell contact by cell-cell contacts growth.

In tumor cells, the contact inhibition is often set aside by mutations, resulting in uncontrolled growing mass of cells. Monolayers are no longer respected. Naked mole rats never get cancer, which may be due to a particularly strong cell contact inhibition.

In some immortalized cell lines, the cell contact inhibition partially works.