Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
Published on: May 5, 2022
Cell adhesion. The minimal cadherin-catenin complex binds to actin filaments under force
Craig D Buckley1, Jiongyi Tan2, Karen L Anderson3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Abstract:
Linkage between the adherens junction (AJ) and the actin cytoskeleton is required for tissue development and homeostasis. In vivo findings indicated that the AJ proteins E-cadherin, β-catenin, and the filamentous (F)-actin binding protein αE-catenin form a minimal cadherin-catenin complex that binds directly to F-actin. Biochemical studies challenged this model because the purified cadherin-catenin complex does not bind F-actin in solution. Here, we reconciled this difference. Using an optical trap-based assay, we showed that the minimal cadherin-catenin complex formed stable bonds with an actin filament under force. Bond dissociation kinetics can be explained by a catch-bond model in which force shifts the bond from a weakly to a strongly bound state. These results may explain how the cadherin-catenin complex transduces mechanical forces at cell-cell junctions.
Related Concept Videos
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...
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 Junctions
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
Structure of Cadherins
Formation of Higher-order Actin Filaments
The high-order actin...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...

