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PMID: 20453849 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

alpha-Catenin as a tension transducer that induces adherens junction development.

Nature cell biology ·Vol. 12 ·No. 6 ·2010-06-00 ·Pages 533-42

Yonemura S, Wada Y, Watanabe T, Nagafuchi A, Shibata M

Abstract

Adherens junctions (AJs), which are organized by adhesion proteins and the underlying actin cytoskeleton, probably sense pulling forces from adjacent cells and modulate opposing forces to maintain tissue integrity, but the regulatory mechanism remains unknown at the molecular level. Although the possibility that alpha-catenin acts as a direct linker between the membrane and the actin cytoskeleton for AJ formation and function has been minimized, here we show that alpha-catenin recruits vinculin, another main actin-binding protein of AJs, through force-dependent changes in alpha-catenin conformation. We identified regions in the alpha-catenin molecule that are required for its force-dependent binding of vinculin by introducing mutant alpha-catenin into cells and using in vitro binding assays. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis for alpha-catenin mobility and the existence of an antibody recognizing alpha-catenin in a force-dependent manner further supported the notion that alpha-catenin is a tension transducer that translates mechanical stimuli into a chemical response, resulting in AJ development.

MeSH Terms
Adherens Junctions/metabolism,physiology Animals Cytoskeleton/metabolism,physiology Microfilament Proteins/chemistry,metabolism Vinculin/metabolism,physiology alpha Catenin/metabolism
Chemicals
Microfilament Proteins alpha Catenin Vinculin
Authors & Affiliations
5 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Yonemura Shigenobu
Electron Microscope Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan. yonemura@cdb.riken.jp
Wada Yuko
Watanabe Toshiyuki
Nagafuchi Akira
Shibata Mai
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Article Info
Journal
Nature cell biology
Abbr.
Nat Cell Biol
ISSN
1476-4679
DOI
10.1038/ncb2055
Email
yonemura@cdb.riken.jp
Published
2010-06-00
Epub
2010-00-09
Pages
533-42
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
100890575
Subset
IM
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 20453846
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/ncb2055 View journal details
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