Lien Wen-Hui, Klezovitch Olga, Vasioukhin Valeri
Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N., C3-168, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2006 Oct;18(5):499-506. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2006.07.001. Epub 2006 Jul 21.
Cadherin-catenin adhesion is pivotal for the development of multicellular organisms. Features such as a large repertoire of homotypically interacting cadherins, rapid assembly and disassembly, and a connection to a force-generating actin cytoskeleton make cadherin-mediated junctions ideal structures for the execution of complex changes in cell and tissue morphology during development. Recent findings highlight the role of cadherin-catenin proteins as critical regulators of major developmental pathways. We re-evaluate the significance of cadherin-catenin adhesion structures and propose that in addition to intercellular adhesion, they may be used as biosensors of the external cellular environment that help adjust the behavior of individual cells to ensure survival of the entire organism.
钙黏蛋白-连环蛋白黏附对于多细胞生物的发育至关重要。钙黏蛋白具有大量同型相互作用的类型、快速组装和解聚，以及与产生力的肌动蛋白细胞骨架相连等特征，使得钙黏蛋白介导的连接成为发育过程中执行细胞和组织形态复杂变化的理想结构。最近的研究结果突出了钙黏蛋白-连环蛋白作为主要发育途径关键调节因子的作用。我们重新评估了钙黏蛋白-连环蛋白黏附结构的重要性，并提出除细胞间黏附外，它们还可作为外部细胞环境的生物传感器，帮助调节单个细胞的行为以确保整个生物体的存活。
