Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
07:53
Analyses of Actin Dynamics, Clutch Coupling and Traction Force for Growth Cone Advance
Published on: October 21, 2021
Cortactin: Coordinating adhesion and the actin cytoskeleton at cellular protrusions
Gang Ren1, Matthew S Crampton, Alpha S Yap
1Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Division of Molecular Cell Biology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4072.
Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton
|May 14, 2009
Summary
Adhesion receptors and the cytoskeleton work together in cell processes. This review identifies functional modules, like Arp2/3-driven protrusion, coordinating these interactions for cell adhesion and tissue remodeling.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
- Biophysics
Background:
- Adhesion receptors and the cytoskeleton are crucial for cell functions like morphogenesis and tissue repair.
- The precise mechanisms of their cooperation are not fully understood.
- Numerous cytoskeletal regulators link to adhesion receptors, creating complex molecular networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify functional modules that explain how adhesion receptors and the cytoskeleton cooperate.
- To provide a framework for understanding the molecular basis of adhesive processes.
- To highlight commonalities in molecular mechanisms across different adhesion types.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on functional and biochemical linkages between adhesion receptors and cytoskeletal regulators.
- Analysis of molecular mechanisms, specifically Arp2/3-driven surface protrusion.
- Case study examining integrin-based and cadherin-based adhesions.
Main Results:
- Distinct functional modules can be identified within the complex interplay of adhesion receptors and the cytoskeleton.
- Arp2/3-driven surface protrusion is a conserved module used in both cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions.
- Regulatory proteins like cortactin integrate components into cohesive protrusive modules.
Conclusions:
- Identifying functional modules offers a strategy to decipher the complex coordination between adhesion receptors and the cytoskeleton.
- Conserved modules, such as Arp2/3-driven protrusion, underlie diverse adhesive processes.
- Proteins like cortactin play key roles in assembling these functional modules.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Some...
01:23Catenins
Catenins are characterized by multiple binding domains and dynamic structures that allow them to function as linker proteins in cell junction complexes. All catenins, except α-catenin, contain a characteristic protein sequence called the armadillo repeat and are therefore also called armadillo proteins.
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the adherens...
Catenins in Cell Junctions
Catenins bind to cell adhesion molecules such as cadherins and link them to different cytoskeletal proteins depending on the type of cell junction. At the adherens...
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...
01:13Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
01:26Tension 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...
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
01:24Adherens 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...
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...