Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules
Published on: October 17, 2014
The regulation and functional impact of actin assembly at cadherin cell-cell adhesions
Magdalene Michael1, Alpha S Yap
1Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia. m.michael@imb.uq.edu.au
Abstract:
Cadherin adhesion receptors are critical components for the maintenance of tissue architecture and organisation during development and in post-embryonic life. These receptors influence the actin cytoskeletal network by controlling its assembly at the junctions. Likewise, the actin cytoskeleton is required for cadherin integrity at cell-cell contacts. The junctional cytoskeleton is intrinsically dynamic and undergoes constant assembly and reorganisation to maintain a morphologically stable structure. This is governed by a host of molecular players that regulate actin assembly during nucleation and at post-nucleation stages. This review highlights the molecular machinery implicated in actin organisation at various stages of junctional assembly and its functional impact in simple epithelia and other model systems.
Related Concept Videos
Structure of Cadherins
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Catenins
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...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions
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 Adhesions
Some...
Adherens Junctions
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...

