Zyxin contributes to coupling between cell junctions and contractile actomyosin networks during apical constriction.

ABSTRACT: One of the most common cell shape changes driving morphogenesis in diverse animals is the constriction of the apical cell surface. Apical constriction depends on contraction of an actomyosin network in the apical cell cortex, but such actomyosin networks have been shown to undergo continual, conveyor belt-like contractions before the shrinking of an apical surface begins. This finding suggests that apical constriction is not necessarily triggered by the contraction of actomyosin networks, but rather can be triggered by unidentified, temporally-regulated mechanical links between actomyosin and junctions. Here, we used C. elegans gastrulation as a model to seek genes that contribute to such dynamic linkage. We found that α-catenin and β-catenin initially failed to move centripetally with con

SUBMITTER: Slabodnick MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10081768 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature