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Analysis of Cardiomyocyte Development using Immunofluorescence in Embryonic Mouse Heart
Published on: March 26, 2015
Integrins and other cell adhesion molecules in cardiac development
1Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
|January 20, 2011
Summary
Cell adhesion molecules, like integrins, are crucial for heart development. Their unique expression patterns during early heart formation are key to understanding congenital heart disease.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cardiac morphogenesis relies on cell surface receptors for cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions.
- Integrins and other adhesion molecules play vital roles in early heart development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the adhesive characteristics and expression profiles of key adhesion molecules in early heart development.
- To highlight the importance of understanding developmental receptor expression for cardiac research.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on cardiac development and cell adhesion molecules.
- Analysis of expression profiles of integrins and other adhesion families during embryogenesis.
Main Results:
- Integrins and specific adhesion molecules exhibit unique expression patterns during early cardiac morphogenesis.
- Developmental expression profiles often differ significantly from those in the mature heart.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the dynamic expression of cell adhesion molecules is essential for deciphering normal cardiac development.
- This knowledge is critical for investigating the origins of congenital heart disease and adult cardiac pathologies.
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01:10Integrins
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Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
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.
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01:19Cadherins 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
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01:20Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are pivotal to multicellularity and the coordinated functioning of tissues and organ systems. They enable physical interactions between cells and provide mechanical strength to tissues. They also function as receptors for signal transmission across the plasma membrane. The CAMs are broadly classified into four families - integrins, cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulin-like CAMs (IgCAMs).
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Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are pivotal to multicellularity and the coordinated functioning of tissues and organ systems. They enable physical interactions between cells and provide mechanical strength to tissues. They also function as receptors for signal transmission across the plasma membrane. The CAMs are broadly classified into four families - integrins, cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulin-like CAMs (IgCAMs).
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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.
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