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Cell adhesion is the process by which cells form contacts with each other or with their substratum through specialized protein complexes. Intercellular adhesion can be mediated by adherens junctions, tight junctions and desmosomes, whereas cells can interact with extracellular matrix molecules through focal adhesions.
Cells employ integrin-based adhesions with different molecular compositions to adhere to substrates. Here, the authors show that so-called “non-canonical” adhesions lacking focal adhesion components can convert to focal adhesions (and vice versa), through the selective exchange of components.
By using a CRISPR/dCas9 biosensor that reads DNA methylation of α-satellite repeats in live cells, we identify a signaling pathway linking the chromatin and transcriptional state of repeats to the integrity of epithelial adherens junctions.
During alveologenesis myofibroblasts contractions at terminal sacs produce alveoli in the lungs. Here they show that endothelial cells promote myofibroblast-driven alveologenesis by forming basement membranes via Rap1-induced integrin β1 activation.
The authors identified a cell population in Drosophila follicles that elaborate filopodia penetrating the oocyte they are contacting. These somatic cells are essential during oogenesis to regulate polarity and germline development of the future embryo.
In this Tools of the Trade article, Isomursu (Ivaska lab) describes a new method for dynamic micropatterning, which enables investigation of cell adhesion and migration on substrates that mimic different extracellular matrix environments.
Recently published in Nature, Fan et al. demonstrate that accumulation of advanced glycation end-products in the extracellular matrix of the liver increases viscoelasticity to promote hepatocellular carcinoma growth, independent of stiffness.
Cell–cell adhesions are inevitably exposed to mechanical forces. A landmark paper by Yonemura et al. identified how tension alters molecular function of the cadherin adhesion apparatus. Its legacy lies in the many on-going efforts to understand how mechanical force is used in cell–cell communication.
Effective pharmacological treatment options for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are missing. A study by Zhang et al. suggests that targeting the thrombo-inflammatory activity of platelets by blocking the intracellular accumulation of ceramides might limit AAA progression while not affecting hemostatic platelet function.
A new biotinylation-based approach identifies previously unknown cell surface proteins of the axonal initial segment (AIS) and shows a role for contactin-1 in assembly of the AIS extracellular matrix.