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Published on: March 4, 2014
Cadherin function during Xenopus gastrulation.
1Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, r.winklbauer@utoronto.ca.
Sub-Cellular Biochemistry
|June 8, 2012
Summary
Xenopus gastrulation involves cell sheet deformation, requiring flexible cell adhesion. While cadherin expression patterns correlate with regional differences in tissue cohesion, their precise role in gastrulation remains unclear.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Embryology
Background:
- Xenopus gastrulation involves coordinated cell sheet deformation, necessitating adaptable cell-cell adhesion for tissue cohesion and rearrangement.
- Classic cadherins, particularly C-cadherin, play roles in Xenopus early embryonic cohesion, with expression patterns varying across regions.
- The cadherin/catenin complex exhibits a stable, graded expression pattern throughout early development, correlating with regional differences in cell adhesion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional significance of regional differences in tissue cohesion, driven by cadherin/catenin expression, during Xenopus gastrulation.
- To determine whether differential cell adhesion, as dictated by cadherin patterns, actively contributes to cell sorting or boundary formation in the gastrula.
- To clarify the mechanisms by which variable tissue cohesion influences cell rearrangements driving gastrulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cadherin and catenin complex expression patterns during Xenopus early development.
- Observation of cell behaviors and tissue movements during gastrulation.
- Experimental manipulation of cadherin expression and function.
Main Results:
- Cadherin/catenin complex expression is graded and stable, correlating with regional differences in cell adhesion.
- Experimental manipulation of cadherin expression or function did not induce cell sorting or boundary formation.
- Gastrulation cell rearrangement is compatible with variable tissue cohesion, suggesting other mechanisms may be at play.
Conclusions:
- Regional differences in tissue cohesion, influenced by cadherin/catenin expression, do not appear to be the primary drivers of cell sorting or boundary formation in Xenopus gastrulation.
- Active cell repulsion mechanisms are implicated in gastrula boundary formation.
- The precise roles of differential adhesion in Xenopus gastrulation remain an open challenge, with cell rearrangement being compatible with variable cohesion.
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