Takeichi M, Nakagawa S, Aono S, Usui T, Uemura T
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Japan.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2000 Jul 29;355(1399):885-90. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2000.0624.
During morphogenesis, cell-cell association patterns are dynamically altered. We are interested in how cell adhesion molecules can regulate the patterning of cellular assemblies. Cadherins, a group of cell-cell adhesion receptors, are crucial for the organized assembly of many cell types, but they also regulate dynamic aspects of cell association. For example, during neural crest emigration from the neural tube, the cadherin subtypes expressed by crest cells are switched from one subtype to another. Artificial perturbation of this switch results in blocking of their escape from the neural tube. Intracellular modulations of cadherin activity also seem to play a role in regulation of cell adhesion. We identified p120ctn as a regulator of cadherin function in carcinoma cells. With such regulators, cells may make a choice as to whether they should maintain stable cell contacts or disrupt their association. Finally, we found another type of cadherin-mediated cell patterning: Flamingo, a seven-pass transmembrane cadherin, regulates planar cell polarity in Drosophila imaginal discs. Thus, the cadherin superfamily receptors control the patterning of cell assemblies through a variety of mechanisms.
在形态发生过程中，细胞间的关联模式会动态改变。我们感兴趣的是细胞黏附分子如何调节细胞集合体的模式形成。钙黏蛋白是一类细胞间黏附受体，对许多细胞类型的有序组装至关重要，但它们也调节细胞关联的动态方面。例如，在神经嵴从神经管迁出的过程中，嵴细胞表达的钙黏蛋白亚型会从一种亚型转换为另一种亚型。人为干扰这种转换会导致它们无法从神经管逸出。钙黏蛋白活性的细胞内调节似乎也在细胞黏附的调节中起作用。我们确定p120连环蛋白是癌细胞中钙黏蛋白功能的调节因子。有了这样的调节因子，细胞可以选择是保持稳定的细胞接触还是破坏它们之间的关联。最后，我们发现了另一种钙黏蛋白介导的细胞模式形成：Flamingo，一种七次跨膜钙黏蛋白，调节果蝇成虫盘中的平面细胞极性。因此，钙黏蛋白超家族受体通过多种机制控制细胞集合体的模式形成。
