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Related Concept Videos

Desmosomes01:05

Desmosomes

The term desmosome derives from the Greek words "desmo" and "soma" meaning "adhesion bodies." This structure was first observed during the late 1800s and described as small, dense nodules in the epidermis. Desmosomes are button-like structures that help form an interlinked network of intermediate filaments across the cells. These junctions are  essential to hold cells together under mechanical stress and to maintain tissue integrity. Desmosomes are multi-protein complexes comprising desmosomal...
Anchoring Junctions01:03

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring junctions are multiprotein complexes that help cells connect to other cells and the extracellular matrix. Anchoring junctions are present on the lateral and basal surfaces of cells, providing strong and flexible connections. Focal adhesions are often formed due to cell interactions with the ECM substrata, which initiate signal transduction via kinase cascades and other mechanisms. Together, they provide stability and tissue integrity. There are three types of anchoring junctions:...
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply01:24

Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply

Rapidly dividing tumors, embryos, and wounded tissues require more oxygen than usual, lowering the oxygen concentration in the blood. At low oxygen or hypoxic conditions, an oxygen-sensitive transcription factor called the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 or HIF1 is activated. HIF1 is a dimeric protein of alpha (ɑ) and beta (β) subunits.  Under optimal oxygen conditions, HIF1β is present in the nucleus while HIF1ɑ remains in the cytosol. HIF1ɑ is hydroxylated by prolyl hydroxylase and factor...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However, invadopodia can...
Adherens Junctions01:24

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types –  adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as  epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as  heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...

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Measuring Interactions of Globular and Filamentous Proteins by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) and Microscale Thermophoresis (MST)
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Pervanadate stabilizes desmosomes.

David R Garrod1, Christal Fisher, Angela Smith

  • 1Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. david.garrod@manchester.ac.uk

Cell Adhesion & Migration
|March 6, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of desmosomal proteins, desmoglein 2 and plakoglobin, surprisingly stabilizes cell-cell adhesion. This suggests complex roles for phosphorylation in desmosome function, unlike adherens junctions.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Desmosomes provide strong cell-cell adhesion in epithelia and cardiac muscle.
  • Adherens junctions are destabilized by src-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of E-cadherin and beta-catenin.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of tyrosine phosphorylation on desmosomal adhesion.
  • To examine the phosphorylation status of desmosomal components.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of epithelial cells with sodium pervanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor.
  • Analysis of desmosomal components desmoglein 2 and plakoglobin in soluble and insoluble cell fractions.

Main Results:

  • Sodium pervanadate treatment induced tyrosine phosphorylation of desmoglein 2 and plakoglobin.
  • Phosphorylation surprisingly stabilized desmosomal adhesion, leading to a hyper-adhesive state.
  • Affected proteins were found in both detergent-soluble and insoluble cellular fractions.

Conclusions:

  • Tyrosine phosphorylation has complex effects on desmosomal adhesion.
  • Desmosomal adhesion stabilization contrasts with the destabilization observed in adherens junctions upon similar modifications.