Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
07:53
Analyses of Actin Dynamics, Clutch Coupling and Traction Force for Growth Cone Advance
Published on: October 21, 2021
ZO-1 shuttles between apical junctional complexes and podosomes by riding ERK activation waves
Sayuki Hirano1,2,3,4,5, Yohei Kondo6,7,8,9,10, Asayuki Kitajima6
1Laboratory of Quantitative Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. hirano.sayuki.2k@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
Nature Communications
|May 9, 2026
Summary
Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) protein moves to cell-matrix adhesions, promoting invasive migration and coordinating collective cell movement. This reveals ZO-1
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Collective cell migration is crucial for development and disease, but coordination mechanisms are unclear.
- Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) is a tight junction protein, traditionally linked to cell-cell adhesion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ZO-1 in collective cell migration.
- To understand how ZO-1 influences cell-extracellular matrix interactions during migration.
Main Methods:
- Immunofluorescence microscopy to track ZO-1 localization.
- Biochemical assays to assess protein interactions and signaling pathways.
- Cell migration assays to quantify migratory behavior.
Main Results:
- ZO-1 dynamically translocates from tight junctions to cell-extracellular matrix adhesion sites (podosomes) during migration.
- Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation triggers ZO-1 translocation to podosomes.
- ZO-1 at podosomes promotes invasive migration and influences collective cell migration dynamics.
Conclusions:
- ZO-1 plays a novel dual role in collective cell migration, regulating both cell-ECM interactions and intercellular signaling.
- ZO-1 acts as a key integrator of individual cell behavior into coordinated collective movement.
- Targeting ZO-1 function may offer therapeutic strategies for diseases involving aberrant cell migration.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
01:24Adherens Junctions
Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types – adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...
01:29Tight Junctions
Tight junctions are molecular seals between cells that prevent the leaking of fluids, ions, and other small solutes across cavities and compartments in multicellular organisms. They are mainly composed of claudin and occludin transmembrane proteins, and other proteins such as tricellulin and JAM (junctional adhesion molecule). All these proteins are 4-pass transmembrane proteins, except JAM, which is a single-pass transmembrane protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. The...
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
01:03Anchoring Junctions
Anchoring junctions are multiprotein complexes that help cells connect to other cells and the extracellular matrix. Anchoring junctions are present on the lateral and basal surfaces of cells, providing strong and flexible connections. Focal adhesions are often formed due to cell interactions with the ECM substrata, which initiate signal transduction via kinase cascades and other mechanisms. Together, they provide stability and tissue integrity. There are three types of anchoring junctions:...
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...