Endocytosis of cadherin from intracellular junctions is the driving force for cadherin adhesive dimer disassembly.

ABSTRACT: The adhesion receptor E-cadherin maintains cell-cell junctions by continuously forming short-lived adhesive dimers. Here mixed culture cross-linking and coimmunoprecipitation assays were used to determine the dynamics of adhesive dimer assembly. We showed that the amount of these dimers increased dramatically minutes after the inhibition of endocytosis by ATP depletion or by hypertonic sucrose. This increase was accompanied by the efficient recruitment of E-cadherin into adherens junctions. After 10 min, when the adhesive dimer amount had reached a plateau, the assembly of new dimers stalled completely. These cells, in a striking difference from the control, became unable to disintegrate both their intercellular contacts and adhesive dimers in response to calcium depletion. The same effect

SUBMITTER: Troyanovsky RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1525252 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature