What are cell-cell adhesions? Cell-cell signaling refers to inter-cellular communication through the transduction of chemical, mechanical or electrical signals, facilitated by the formation of specialized cell-cell adhesion junctions. There are three main types of cell-cell adhesive junctions in mammals that detect and transduce signals [...]

How are cell-cell adhesions regulated? Introduction to the regulation of cell-cell adhesion The assembly and disassembly of cell-cell junctions, such as adherens junctions (AJ), are regulated by a vast array of factors functioning in a highly complex network of molecular switches and mechanical cues. [...]

How do post-translational modifications of cell-cell adhesions impact their stability? Post-translational modification of adhesion complex components is one of the most complicated aspects in the regulation of cell-cell adhesions. It involves an array of protein enzymes and despite a growing body of knowledge on [...]

What are anchoring junctions? Cells adhere to the ECM, or to other cells, via complexes that can collectively be called anchoring junctions (reviewed in [1][2]). These multiprotein complexes are found in all cell types where they they stabilize the cells position, provide stability and [...]

What are selectins? Members of the selectin family, E-selectin (endothelial), L-selectin (leukocyte) and P-selectin (platelet), all of which bind to fucosylated carbohydrates [1]. For example P-selectin on leukocytes binds PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1) on endothelial cells. Whether an adhesion is formed between two cells, [...]

What are immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecules? Members of the Immunoglobulin superfamily include vascular and neural cell adhesions molecules (VCAM and NCAM), intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and the Nectins and nectin-like (Necl) proteins. Nectins in particular are involved in the formation of cadherin-based cell-cell [...]

What are tight junctions? Tight junctions, also known as Zonula Occludens, are cell-cell adhesion complexes that play a role in the organization of epithelial tissue. By forming a meshwork of membrane contacts around the cell, tight junctions demarcate the apical region from the basolateral [...]

How are tight junctions assembled? The epithelial tissue is held intact by the formation of tight junctions between cells. The basic functional units that form adhesive contacts across cells are the tight junction strands, which are composed of transmembrane proteins such as claudin, occludin [...]

What are adherens junctions? Adherens junctions (AJs) are cell-cell adhesion complexes that are continuously assembled and disassembled, allowing cells within a tissue to respond to forces, biochemical signals and structural changes in their microenvironment. The events leading up to adherens junction formation are still [...]

How are adherens junctions assembled? Introduction to the Assembly of Adherens Junctions In situations where migrating cells first encounter each other to form junctions, changes in cellular morphology have been observed and correlated with the spatiotemporal distribution of cadherins and catenins (alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, delta-catenin). [...]

What is the role of cadherin and nectin recruitment in adherens junction assembly? Cadherin Recruitment Type I cadherins, also known as classical cadherins, are commonly found in adherens junctions (AJs) and desmosomes. They are produced as a precursor polypeptide that is non-adhesive. This pro-form [...]

What is the role of adaptor proteins in the stabilization and function of core adherens junction components? Recruitment of plaque proteins to adherens junctions The difficulties in establishing a direct link between the α-catenin–β-catenin complex and the actin cytoskeleton underlies a higher degree of [...]