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{alpha}-Catenin mediates initial E-cadherin-dependent cell-cell recognition and subsequent bond strengthening

Saumendra Bajpai1, Joana Correia, Yunfeng Feng

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Graduate Training Program and Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 20, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Alpha-catenin is crucial for initial cell adhesion, strengthening E-cadherin interactions within milliseconds of contact. This protein mediates early cell recognition and bond formation independently of the actin cytoskeleton.

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