Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Indirect Immunofluorescence on Frozen Sections of Mouse Mammary Gland
Published on: December 1, 2015
Plasticity of mammary cell boundaries governed by EGF and actin remodeling
Wai Ying Yvonne Tang1, Alison J Beckett1, Ian A Prior1
1Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.
Abstract:
Defined signals that dictate the architecture of cellular boundaries in confluent cultures are poorly characterized. Here, we report dramatic remodeling, invoked by long-term epidermal growth factor (EGF) withdrawal from mammary-derived MCF10A cells. Such intervention generates an interdigitated, desmosome-rich monolayer, wherein cells project actin-containing protrusions deep into neighboring cells. These changes protect cellular sheets from mechanical disruption and dramatically restrict the freedom of cells to roam within the monolayer. Ectopic expression of activated Rac counteracts interdigitation and induces membrane ruffling, but cells remain confined by their interdigitated neighbors. Interdigitations are rapidly dissolved by acute EGF application in a process that is sensitive to actin depolymerization and myosin II inhibition. These assays for formation and dissolution of interdigitations provide a platform for the dissection of novel signaling pathways that are highly specific to EGF receptor (EGFR) activation.
Related Concept Videos
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate....
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...

