Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...

Structure of Cadherins

Structure of Cadherins

The cadherins were one of the first cell adhesion molecules discovered; the term “cadherins” is based on their calcium-dependent adhering properties. The first cadherins discovered on the epithelial, neuronal, and placental cells were named E-cadherin, P-cadherin, and N-cadherin, respectively. These classical cadherins share sequence and structural similarities. Other cadherins, including those involved in cell signaling, are grouped into non-classical cadherins. This diversity of cadherins...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Mechanism of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Using a Bio 3D Conduit Derived from Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Journal of reconstructive microsurgery·2020

Same author

Three new Prototapirella species, Opisthotrichum janus, and Troglocorys cava add to Entodiniomorphida (Ciliophora, Trichostomatia) diversity in mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

European journal of protistology·2020

Same author

Predictive evaluation of powder X-ray diffractograms of pharmaceutical formulation powders based on infrared spectroscopy.

Bio-medical materials and engineering·2020

Same author

Independent risk factors and long-term outcomes for acute kidney injury in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a retrospective cohort study.

BMC nephrology·2020

Same author

Magnetic heating of nanoparticles as a scalable cryopreservation technology for human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Scientific reports·2020

Same author

Effects of in vivo cyclic compressive loading on the distribution of local Col2 and superficial lubricin in rat knee cartilage.

Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society·2020

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Published on: February 27, 2020

Enhancement of cell function through heterotypic cell-cell interactions using E-cadherin-expressing NIH3T3 cells.

Akira Ito¹, Takehiko Kiyohara, Yoshinori Kawabe

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering

|July 22, 2008

Summary

Engineered E-cadherin in fibroblasts promoted cell-cell interactions with hepatocytes. This enhanced cell adhesion led to increased albumin secretion, suggesting a novel method for modulating cell function.

More Related Videos

Electrically Conductive Scaffold to Modulate and Deliver Stem Cells

Electrically Conductive Scaffold to Modulate and Deliver Stem Cells

Published on: April 13, 2018

Construction of Defined Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues to Study Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Therapy

Construction of Defined Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues to Study Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Therapy

Published on: March 1, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Published on: February 27, 2020

Electrically Conductive Scaffold to Modulate and Deliver Stem Cells

Electrically Conductive Scaffold to Modulate and Deliver Stem Cells

Published on: April 13, 2018

Construction of Defined Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues to Study Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Therapy

Construction of Defined Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues to Study Mechanisms of Cardiac Cell Therapy

Published on: March 1, 2016

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biochemistry
Molecular Biology

Background:

Epithelial (cell adhesion molecule) E-cadherin mediates cell-cell adhesion in epithelial tissues.
NIH3T3 fibroblasts were engineered to express E-cadherin to study its role in heterotypic cell interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of E-cadherin expression in fibroblasts on cell-cell interactions with other cell types.
To assess the functional consequences of engineered cell-cell contacts on hepatocyte function.

Main Methods:

NIH3T3 fibroblasts were genetically modified to express E-cadherin.
Co-culture experiments were performed between E-cadherin-expressing fibroblasts and rat hepatocytes.
Albumin secretion levels were measured as a functional indicator of hepatocyte activity.

Main Results:

Co-culturing E-cadherin-expressing fibroblasts with rat hepatocytes resulted in frequent and stable cell-cell contacts.
Enhanced albumin secretion was observed in hepatocytes when co-cultured with E-cadherin-expressing fibroblasts compared to controls.
The formation of heterotypic cell-cell interactions influenced hepatocyte function.

Conclusions:

E-cadherin expression in fibroblasts can effectively mediate cell-cell adhesion with hepatocytes.
Engineered cell-cell interactions can positively modulate hepatocyte function, specifically enhancing albumin secretion.
This study provides a model for understanding and potentially engineering cell-cell interactions for therapeutic or research applications.