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Cadherin-mediated specific cell adhesion and animal morphogenesis.
1Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
Ciba Foundation Symposium
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Cadherins are proteins crucial for cell-cell adhesion. This study shows cadherins mediate specific cell binding, essential for embryonic development and tissue formation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Cadherins are transmembrane glycoproteins mediating calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion.
- Cadherin expression is spatiotemporally regulated during embryonic development.
- Cadherins play a critical role in tissue morphogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the binding specificity of different cadherin family members.
- To determine the functional role of cadherins in selective cell adhesion.
- To elucidate the contribution of cadherins to embryonic morphogenetic events.
Main Methods:
- Transfection of cells with complementary DNAs (cDNAs) encoding specific cadherins.
- Assessing the adhesion properties of cells expressing exogenous cadherin molecules.
- Utilizing antibody perturbation to study cadherin function in tissue morphogenesis.
Main Results:
- Transfected cells expressed functional exogenous cadherins.
- Cells preferentially adhered to others expressing the identical cadherin type.
- Cadherin-mediated specific adhesion was observed in neurite attachment.
Conclusions:
- Cadherins exhibit specific binding preferences for identical cadherin types.
- Cadherins are essential for selective cell adhesion.
- These specific adhesive interactions are fundamental to embryonic morphogenesis.