Harris Tony J C
Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, M5S 3G5, Toronto, ON, Canada,
Subcell Biochem. 2012;60:1-5. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-4186-7_1.
Adherens junctions (AJs) are fundamental for the development of animal tissues and organs. The core complex is formed from transmembrane cell-cell adhesion molecules, cadherins, and adaptor molecules, the catenins, that link to cytoskeletal and regulatory networks within the cell. This complex can be considered over a wide range of biological organization, from atoms to molecules, protein complexes, molecular networks, cells, tissues, and overall animal development. AJs have also been an integral part of animal evolution, and play central roles in cancer development and pathogen infection. This book addresses major questions encompassing these aspects of AJ biology. How did AJs evolve? How do the cadherins and catenins interact to assemble AJs and mediate adhesion? How do AJs interface with other cellular machinery to couple adhesion with the whole cell? How do AJs affect cell behaviour and multicellular development? How can abnormal AJ activity lead to disease?
黏着连接对于动物组织和器官的发育至关重要。其核心复合体由跨膜细胞间黏附分子（钙黏蛋白）和衔接分子（连环蛋白）组成，这些分子与细胞内的细胞骨架和调节网络相连。从原子到分子、蛋白质复合体、分子网络、细胞、组织以及整个动物发育等广泛的生物组织层面，都可以对这个复合体进行研究。黏着连接也是动物进化不可或缺的一部分，并且在癌症发展和病原体感染中发挥着核心作用。本书探讨了围绕黏着连接生物学这些方面的主要问题。黏着连接是如何进化的？钙黏蛋白和连环蛋白如何相互作用以组装黏着连接并介导黏附？黏着连接如何与其他细胞机制相互作用，从而将黏附与整个细胞联系起来？黏着连接如何影响细胞行为和多细胞发育？异常的黏着连接活性如何导致疾病？
