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E-cadherin junctions as active mechanical integrators in tissue dynamics

Nature Cell Biology volume 17, pages 533–539 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

During epithelial morphogenesis, E-cadherin adhesive junctions play an important part in mechanically coupling the contractile cortices of cells together, thereby distributing the stresses that drive cell rearrangements at both local and tissue levels. Here we discuss the concept that cellular contractility and E-cadherin-based adhesion are functionally integrated by biomechanical feedback pathways that operate on molecular, cellular and tissue scales.

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Figure 1: Actomyosin at epithelial junctions.
Figure 2: Forces and mechanosensitivity at E-cadherin junctions.
Figure 3: Spatial patterns of contraction underlying apical constriction and cell intercalation.

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Article 01 December 2022

Zixuan Zhao, Xinyi Chen, … Hanry Yu

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Acknowledgements

T.L. was funded by Labex INFORM (ANR-11-LABX-0054) under the A*MIDEX program (ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Programme Blance 'Archiplast'), the European Research Council (Biomecamorph #323027) and the Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (grant SL220120605305). A.S.Y. was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (1044041, 1037320).

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  1. Thomas Lecuit is at IBDM, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Campus de Luminy case 907, 13009 Marseille, France,

    Thomas Lecuit

  2. Alpha S. Yap is in the Division of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia,

    Alpha S. Yap

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  1. Thomas Lecuit
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Correspondence to Thomas Lecuit or Alpha S. Yap.

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Lecuit, T., Yap, A. E-cadherin junctions as active mechanical integrators in tissue dynamics. Nat Cell Biol 17, 533–539 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb3136

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