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Intercellular adhesion, signalling and the cytoskeleton

Nature Cell Biology volume 4, pages E101–E108 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Connections between the cytoskeleton and intercellular junctions profoundly influence cell shape and motility. It is becoming increasingly clear that in addition to structural functions, components of the adhesion apparatus also possess signalling capabilities. Recent studies suggest that their dual function may provide the means to integrate changes in morphology and gene expression during tissue and organ development.

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Figure 1: Structure of the adherens junction (AJ) and desmosomes.
Figure 2: Intermediate structures during the early formation of cell–cell contacts.
Figure 3: Adhesion dynamics during hair follicle morphogenesis.
Figure 4: Wnt signalling.

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Acknowledgements

We thank members of the Fuchs lab for comments on the manuscript.

We also thank C. Bauer, S. Raghavan, A. Vaezi, C. Adams and W.J. Nelson for the use of their figures.

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  1. Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, 60637, IL, USA

    Colin Jamora & Elaine Fuchs

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Jamora, C., Fuchs, E. Intercellular adhesion, signalling and the cytoskeleton. Nat Cell Biol 4, E101–E108 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0402-e101

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