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First published online 15 November 2005
doi: 10.1242/jcs.02639
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Research Article |


1 Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
2 Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK
3 Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
Author for correspondence (e-mail: v.braga{at}imperial.ac.uk)
Accepted 15 August 2005
The ability of epithelial cells to polarize requires cell-cell adhesion mediated by cadherin receptors. During cell-cell contact, the mechanism via which a flat, spread cell shape is changed into a tall, cuboidal epithelial morphology is not known. We found that cadherin-dependent adhesion modulates actin dynamics by triggering changes in actin organization both locally at junctions and within the rest of the cell. Upon induction of cell-cell contacts, two spatial actin populations are distinguishable: junctional actin and peripheral thin bundles. With time, the relative position of these two populations changes and becomes indistinguishable to form a cortical actin ring that is characteristic of mature, fully polarized epithelial cells. Junctional actin and thin actin bundles differ in their actin dynamics and mechanism of formation, and interestingly, have distinct roles during epithelial polarization. Whereas junctional actin stabilizes clustered cadherin receptors at cell-cell contacts, contraction of peripheral actin bundle is essential for an increase in the maximum height at the lateral domain during polarization (cuboidal morphology). Thus, both junctional actin and thin bundles are necessary, and cooperate with each other to generate a polarized epithelial morphology.
Key words: Microfilaments, Keratinocytes, Actin bundles, Cadherins, Cell-cell contact
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