Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

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 Cadherins01:25

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...
Catenins01:23

Catenins

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...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
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...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions01:17

Intracellular 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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Harnessing the spleen-brain axis: Magnolol-loaded nanomedicine attenuates ischemic stroke <i>via</i> oxidative stress mitigation and monocyte/macrophage reprogramming.

Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B·2026
Same author

Somatic mutations reveal the ontogeny of human microglia.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Cold Laser vs Excimer Laser in Lower Limb Atherosclerosis: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Trial.

JACC. Cardiovascular interventions·2026
Same author

[Effectiveness of lymphaticovenular anastomosis combined with perioperative targeted drainage in treatment of secondary lower limb lymphedema: a prospective randomized trial].

Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery·2026
Same author

Autoantibody hotspots reveal the origin and impact of immunogenic XIST ribonucleoprotein complexes in autoimmune diseases.

The Journal of clinical investigation·2026
Same author

Curcumin pretreatment enhances the capacity of BMSC exosomes to attenuate renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by ferroptosis suppression via miR-16-5p/Smad3/Mb axis.

Stem cell research & therapy·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules
08:15

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules

Published on: October 17, 2014

Cadherin point mutations alter cell sorting and modulate GTPase signaling.

Hamid Tabdili1, Adrienne K Barry, Matthew D Langer

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA.

Journal of Cell Science
|April 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Cadherin binding strength significantly impacts cell sorting and intracellular signaling. Even small differences in cadherin affinity can alter cell behavior and communication.

More Related Videos

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells
09:32

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Published on: February 27, 2020

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis
07:26

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis

Published on: January 31, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules
08:15

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules

Published on: October 17, 2014

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells
09:32

Differentiation of Mouse Breast Epithelial HC11 and EpH4 Cells

Published on: February 27, 2020

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis
07:26

Quantitative PCR-based Assay to Measure Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Cellular Model of Ciliogenesis

Published on: January 31, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cadherins are crucial cell adhesion molecules mediating cell-cell interactions.
  • Differential cadherin binding is hypothesized to regulate cell sorting and signaling pathways.
  • Understanding the quantitative relationship between binding affinity and functional outcomes is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how variations in cadherin binding affinity affect cell sorting and GTPase activation.
  • To quantify the impact of N-terminal domain mutations on Xenopus C-cadherin binding.
  • To correlate binding differences with cadherin-dependent cell segregation and intracellular signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized N-terminal domain point mutants of Xenopus C-cadherin.
  • Employed micropipette manipulation technique for dynamic cell-cell binding measurements.
  • Compared two-dimensional binding affinities and dissociation rates with in vitro cell sorting and GTPase signaling.

Main Results:

  • Five-fold differences in 2D affinity correlated with cadherin-dependent cell segregation.
  • Smaller affinity differences did not induce cell sorting, highlighting a threshold effect.
  • Differential cadherin binding proportionally modulated intracellular GTPase signaling amplitudes.

Conclusions:

  • Differential cadherin affinities have significant functional consequences beyond cell cohesion.
  • Quantitative binding differences directly influence cell sorting specificity.
  • Cadherin binding strength is a key regulator of intracellular signaling pathways.