Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Bead Aggregation Assays for the Characterization of Putative Cell Adhesion Molecules
Published on: October 17, 2014
Spatial integration of E-cadherin adhesion, signalling and the epithelial cytoskeleton
1Molecular Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, SW7 2AZ London, UK.
Abstract:
The characteristic tall and elongated shape of epithelial cells requires specialized adhesive structures and a distinct organization of cytoskeletal filaments. Cytoskeletal networks coordinate a precise organization of adhesive and signalling complexes along cell-cell contacts and enable exquisite strong cohesion among epithelial cells. E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent adhesion receptor, is an essential adhesive system in epithelia and its dynamic regulation and pathways that stabilize cell-cell adhesion have been extensively studied. This review highlights the less understood mechanisms underlying how cadherin receptor signalling drives cytoskeletal rearrangements which ultimately define the epithelial cell shape. In the past two years, new insights identify specific actin-binding proteins and regulators of the epithelial cytoskeleton as a framework to support junction dynamics, plasticity and maintenance.
Related Concept Videos
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Adherens Junctions
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...
Anchoring Junctions
Structure of Cadherins
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...

