Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2018 Feb;50:14-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2018.01.001. Epub 2018 Feb 6.
Cell-cell junctions, acting as 'secret handshakes', mediate cell-cell interactions and make multicellularity possible. Work over the previous century illuminated key players comprising these junctions including the cadherin superfamily, nectins, CAMs, connexins, notch/delta, lectins, and eph/Ephrins. Recent work has focused on elucidating how interactions between these complex and often contradictory cues can ultimately give rise to large-scale organization in tissues. This effort, in turn, has enabled bioengineering advances such as cell-mimetic interfaces that allow us to better probe junction biology and to develop new biomaterials. This review details exciting, recent developments in these areas as well as providing both historical context and a discussion of some topical challenges and opportunities for the future.
细胞-细胞连接作为“秘密握手”，介导细胞-细胞相互作用，使多细胞成为可能。上一个世纪的研究揭示了构成这些连接的关键参与者，包括钙黏蛋白超家族、黏附连接分子、细胞黏附分子、连接蛋白、Notch/delta、凝集素和 Eph/Ephrins。最近的工作集中在阐明这些复杂且常常相互矛盾的线索之间的相互作用如何最终导致组织的大规模组织。这项工作反过来又推动了生物工程的进步，例如细胞模拟界面，使我们能够更好地探索连接生物学并开发新的生物材料。这篇综述详细介绍了这些领域令人兴奋的最新进展，提供了历史背景，并讨论了一些当前的挑战和未来的机遇。
