Adherens junction
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Overview
Adherens junctions (or zonula adherens) are protein complexes that occur at cell-cell junctions in epithelial tissues, usually more basal than tight junctions.
They can appear as bands encircling the cell (zonula adherens) or as spots of attachment to the extracellular matrix (adhesion plaques).
Proteins
They are composed of three major proteins:
- cadherins. The cadherins are a family of transmembrane proteins that form homodimers in a calcium-dependent manner with other cadherin molecules on adjacent cells.
- β-catenin and α-catenin. The catenins both form a complex with the intracellular portion of the cadherin molecule.
Models
Adherens junctions were, for many years, thought to share the characteristic of anchoring cells through their cytoplasmic actin filaments.
The accepted model has been that adherens junctions serve as a bridge connecting the actin cytoskeleton of neighboring cells through direct interaction. However, scientists have not been able to isolate the quaternary complex of cadherin-βcatenin-αcatenin-actin in vitro. Recent data (2005) from 2 labs at Stanford University published in the journal Cell demonstrates that membrane associated actin is several fold less stable compared to components of the adherens junctional complex.[1][2]
Additionally, the authors found that monomeric α-catenin preferentially binds to the cadherin junction complex through β-catenin. Dimeric α-catenin preferentially binds to actin and suppresses Arp2/3 complex-mediated actin branching, thus acting as a molecular switch to regulate actin polymerization.
Adherens junctions may serve as a regulatory module to maintain the actin contractile ring with which it is associated in microscopic studies.
References
- ↑ Yamada S, Pokutta S, Drees F, Weis W, Nelson W (2005). "Deconstructing the cadherin-catenin-actin complex.". Cell 123 (5): 889-901. PMID 16325582.
- ↑ Drees F, Pokutta S, Yamada S, Nelson W, Weis W (2005). "Alpha-catenin is a molecular switch that binds E-cadherin-beta-catenin and regulates actin-filament assembly.". Cell 123 (5): 903-15. PMID 16325583.
External links
- MeSH Adherens+Junctions
- Histology at Boston University 20502loa
Histology: epithelial tissue | |
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| Types | Columnar (simple, stratified) - Cuboidal (simple, stratified) - Pseudostratified - Respiratory - Squamous (simple, stratified) - Transitional - Olfactory |
| Features | Lateral/cell-cell: Tight junction - Adherens junction - Desmosome - Gap junction Basal/cell-matrix: Basal lamina - Hemidesmosome - Focal adhesion Apical: Cilia - Microvilli - Stereocilia |
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
