Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
06:33
Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis
Published on: June 5, 2018
7.7K
Force transduction by cadherin adhesions in morphogenesis
Willem-Jan Pannekoek1, Johan de Rooij1, Martijn Gloerich1
1Molecular Cancer Research, Center for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
F1000Research
|July 23, 2019
Summary
Mechanical forces remodel tissues through cell-cell junctions. Cadherin adhesions transmit and transduce these forces, regulating cell behaviors crucial for development.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Mechanical forces are critical regulators of tissue remodeling during morphogenesis.
- Cadherin-based adherens junctions connect the actomyosin cytoskeletons of neighboring cells, enabling force transmission.
- Adherens junction components undergo force-dependent conformational changes, initiating intracellular responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanisms by which cadherin adhesions transmit and transduce mechanical forces.
- To highlight the role of cadherin mechanotransduction in regulating cell-cell adhesion stability and signaling.
- To summarize how force-dependent regulation by cadherin adhesions coordinates key morphogenetic processes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent advances in cadherin mechanotransduction.
- Analysis of studies on force transmission and transduction at cell-cell adhesions.
- Synthesis of findings on the role of cadherin adhesions in collective cell migration, division, and intercalation.
Main Results:
- Cadherin adhesions transmit forces between cells via actomyosin cytoskeleton coupling.
- Force-dependent conformational changes in adhesion components trigger intracellular signaling.
- Mechanotransduction by cadherins reinforces adhesions or induces remodeling for cell rearrangements.
- Cadherin adhesions coordinate collective cell migration, division, and intercalation.
Conclusions:
- Cadherin adhesions are central to force-dependent regulation of morphogenesis.
- Understanding cadherin mechanotransduction provides insights into tissue development and dynamics.
- Further research on cadherin adhesions will illuminate fundamental principles of developmental biology.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Structure of Cadherins
4.7K
The cadherins were one of the first cell adhesion molecules discovered; the term “cadherins” is based on their calcium-dependent adhering properties. The first cadherins discovered on the epithelial, neuronal, and placental cells were named E-cadherin, P-cadherin, and N-cadherin, respectively. These classical cadherins share sequence and structural similarities. Other cadherins, including those involved in cell signaling, are grouped into non-classical cadherins. This...
4.7K
01:14Adhesion
43.6K
Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow...
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow...
43.6K
01:19Cadherins in Tissue Organization
3.9K
The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
3.9K
02:19Morphogenesis
30.3K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
30.3K
01:16Transduction
1.3K
Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome...
1.3K
03:13Intermolecular Forces
70.3K
Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen...
70.3K