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Force-dependent intercellular adhesion strengthening underlies asymmetric adherens junction contraction.

ABSTRACT: Tissue morphogenesis arises from the culmination of changes in cell-cell junction length. Mechanochemical signaling in the form of RhoA underlies these ratcheted contractions, which occur asymmetrically. The underlying mechanisms of asymmetry remain unknown. We use optogenetically controlled RhoA in model epithelia together with biophysical modeling to uncover the mechanism lending to asymmetric vertex motion. Using optogenetic and pharmacological approaches, we find that both local and global RhoA activation can drive asymmetric junction contraction in the absence of tissue-scale patterning. We find that standard vertex models with homogeneous junction properties are insufficient to recapitulate the observed junction dynamics. Furthermore, these experiments reveal a local coupling of RhoA activation with E-cadherin accumulation. This motivates a coupling of RhoA-mediated increases in tension and E-cadherin-mediated adhesion strengthening. We then demonstrate that incorporating this force-sensitive adhesion strengthening into a continuum model is successful in capturing the observed junction dynamics. Thus, we find that a force-dependent intercellular "clutch" at tricellular vertices stabilizes vertex motion under increasing tension and is sufficient to generate asymmetries in junction contraction.

SUBMITTER: Cavanaugh KE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9123775 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Force-dependent intercellular adhesion strengthening underlies asymmetric adherens junction contraction.

Cavanaugh Kate E KE Staddon Michael F MF Chmiel Theresa A TA Harmon Robert R Budnar Srikanth S Yap Alpha S AS Banerjee Shiladitya S Gardel Margaret L ML

Current biology : CB 20220404 9

Tissue morphogenesis arises from the culmination of changes in cell-cell junction length. Mechanochemical signaling in the form of RhoA underlies these ratcheted contractions, which occur asymmetrically. The underlying mechanisms of asymmetry remain unknown. We use optogenetically controlled RhoA in model epithelia together with biophysical modeling to uncover the mechanism lending to asymmetric vertex motion. Using optogenetic and pharmacological approaches, we find that both local and global R ...[more]

PMID: 35381185

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Project description:Background: Negative-pressure wound therapy has become widely available in modern chronic wound cares. Accelerated keratinocyte (HaCaT cell) movements and decreased E-cadherin expressions induced by the applied negative pressure gradient of 125 mmHg (NP) have been reported in previous studies. However, the molecular mechanism for E-cadherin regulations under NP remains unexplored. We highlighted the signal transduction involved in NP-induced E-cadherin regulation for keratinocytes in the study. Results: Microarray results showed that catenin 1 (CTNND1) gene, the gene encoding the p120-catenin (p120ctn) in cell-cell junctions, was significantly (p = 0.0005) upregulated in HaCaT cells under NP for 12 hours in comparison with those at ambient pressure (AP). Cell fractionations and immunoblotting data showed that NP increased p120ctn phosphorylation, and resulted in p120ctn translocation from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm. Fluorescent stains suggested that NP diminished the co-localization of p120ctn and E-cadherin on the plasma membrane. Similar phenomenon was also observed in the cells with overexpressed p120ctn at NP. Interestingly, overexpression of dN- p120ctn, a deletion mutant of p120ctn without the N-terminal phosphorylation sites, restored the adherens junctions (AJ) at NP. Knockdown of p120ctn with lentiviral small hairpin RNA not only diminished E-cadherin expressions but also accelerated cell movement at AP. Conclusions: Phosphorylation of p120ctn is endowed to respond rapidly to NP and contributes to the AJ disassembly. This NP-induced E-cadherin downregulation can possibly accelerate wound-healing process. Conclusions: Phosphorylation of p120ctn is endowed to respond rapidly to NP and contributes to the AJ disassembly. This NP-induced E-cadherin downregulation can possibly accelerate wound-healing process. HaCaT cells under negative pressure (NP) gradient of 125 mmHg for 12 hours in comparison with those at ambient pressure (AP) were tested for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. The experiments have been biological replicated three times. The differential expression gene between NP and AP were selected and validated with qPCR method.

Project description:UNLABELLED:Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) plays a critical role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis and carcinogenesis and is modulated by the levels, subcellular localization, and posttranslational modification of gap junction proteins, the connexins (Cx). Here, using oval cell-like rat liver epithelial cells, we demonstrate that the RNA-binding protein HuR promotes GJIC through two mechanisms. First, HuR silencing lowered the levels of Cx43 protein and Cx43 messenger RNA (mRNA), and decreased Cx43 mRNA half-life. This regulation was likely due to the direct stabilization of Cx43 mRNA by HuR, because HuR associated directly with Cx43 mRNA, a transcript that bears signature adenylate-uridylate-rich (AU-rich) and uridylate-rich (U-rich) sequences in its 3'-untranslated region. Second, HuR silencing reduced both half-life and the levels of beta-catenin mRNA, also a target of HuR; accordingly, HuR silencing lowered the levels of whole-cell and membrane-associated beta-catenin. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed a direct interaction between beta-catenin and Cx43. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of beta-catenin recapitulated the effects of decreasing HuR levels: it attenuated GJIC, decreased Cx43 levels, and redistributed Cx43 to the cytoplasm, suggesting that depletion of beta-catenin in HuR-silenced cells contributed to lowering Cx43 levels at the membrane. Finally, HuR was demonstrated to support GJIC after exposure to a genotoxic agent, doxorubicin, or an inducer of differentiation processes, retinoic acid, thus pointing to a crucial role of HuR in the cellular response to stress and in physiological processes modulated by GJIC. CONCLUSION:HuR promotes gap junctional intercellular communication in rat liver epithelial cells through two related regulatory processes, by enhancing the expression of Cx43 and by increasing the expression of beta-catenin, which, in turn, interacts with Cx43 and is required for proper positioning of Cx43 at the plasma membrane.

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Force-dependent intercellular adhesion strengthening underlies asymmetric adherens junction contraction.

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Force-dependent intercellular adhesion strengthening underlies asymmetric adherens junction contraction.

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