Cell adhesion articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cellular mechanical forces are regulated by Rho GTPases. Here the authors develop an optogenetic system to control the spatiotemporal activity of RhoA, and show that directing a RhoA activator to the plasma membrane causes contraction and YAP nuclear localization, whereas directing it to the mitochondria causes relaxation.

    • Léo Valon
    • , Ariadna Marín-Llauradó
    •  & Xavier Trepat

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interaction of fibronectin with αv-class and α5β1 integrins results in formation of cell adhesion complexes, but the initial events (<120 s) remain unclear. Here, the authors show that αv-class integrins bind fibronectin faster than α5β1 integrins and subsequently signal to α5ß1 integrins to strengthen the adhesion.

    • Mitasha Bharadwaj
    • , Nico Strohmeyer
    •  & Daniel J. Müller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tumour microenvironment influences the migration of cancer cells. Here the authors analyse the proteomic constitution of the extracellular matrix and identify a role for fibronectin in regulating the collective migration of squamous cell carcinoma cells.

    • Sandeep Gopal
    • , Laurence Veracini
    •  & Ellen Van Obberghen-Schilling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    EpCAM is an unconventional epithelia-specific cell–cell adhesion molecule, that is mutated in the majority of cases of Congenital Tufting Enteropathy. Here the authors show that loss of EpCAM causes a concentration of contractile activity at tricellular junctions, leading to aberrant apical domain and tight junction displacement.

    • Julie Salomon
    • , Cécile Gaston
    •  & Delphine Delacour

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell–cell adhesion and oriented cell division play key roles in tissue architecture, but how they are coordinated is not known. Here, the authors show that E-cadherin interacts with LGN, and thereby provides a cortical cue that serves to stabilize cortical attachment of astral microtubules at cell–cell adhesions, thus orienting the mitotic spindle.

    • Martijn Gloerich
    • , Julie M. Bianchini
    •  & W. James Nelson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The tumour suppressor p120-catenin (p120) controls cadherin-based adhesion. Here, the authors demonstrate that p120 regulates cytokinesis through binding to the centralspindlin component MKLP1 and controls RhoA activity. Loss of p120 in cancer induces multinucleation and chromosomal instability, independent of cell-cell adhesion.

    • Robert A.H. van de Ven
    • , Jolien S. de Groot
    •  & Patrick W.B. Derksen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vasculature is denser in soft than in stiff tissues. Kragl et al. suggest a mechanistic link between biomechanical tissue properties and vascularization by showing that integrin-linked kinase reduces the contractile forces of the cell cortex in endocrine pancreatic cells, facilitating their adhesion to blood vessels and enabling pancreatic islet vascularization.

    • Martin Kragl
    • , Rajib Schubert
    •  & Eckhard Lammert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Live cell super-resolution imaging requires a high temporal resolution, which remains a challenge. Here the authors combine photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) with super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) to achieve high spatiotemporal resolution and quantitative imaging of focal adhesion dynamics.

    • Hendrik Deschout
    • , Tomas Lukes
    •  & Aleksandra Radenovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) maintains myelin-axon spacing. Here, the authors report the crystal structures of the MAG full ectodomain in complex with oligosaccharide, and use additional assays to provide insights into the mechanism of MAG-mediated signalling.

    • Matti F. Pronker
    • , Suzanne Lemstra
    •  & Bert J. C. Janssen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Formation and reinforcement of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion depends on intracellular trafficking and interactions with the actin cytoskeleton, but how these are coordinated is not known. Here the authors conduct a focused phenotypic screen to identify new pathways regulating cell–cell junction homeostasis.

    • J. C. Erasmus
    • , S. Bruche
    •  & V. M. M. Braga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During vascular development, fibronectin (FN) is polymerized at the basolateral side of endothelial cells. Here Mana et al. propose a model where PPFIA1 drives recycling of the FN receptor, a5β1 integrin, to the cell surface and enables polar secretion and fibrillogenesis of newly synthesized FN.

    • Giulia Mana
    • , Fabiana Clapero
    •  & Donatella Valdembri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The role of force in activating integrin cell adhesion receptors is not known. Here the authors develop fluorescent tension sensors for αL and β2 integrins and show that in migrating T cells force is transduced across the β2 integrin, and that this correlates with an active conformational state.

    • Pontus Nordenfelt
    • , Hunter L. Elliott
    •  & Timothy A. Springer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reversible manipulation of cell-cell interactions has potential applications in basic research and cell-based therapy. Here the authors control cell-cell adhesion in vitrowith light, by modifying the surface sugars of cells to display β-cyclodextrin, which recognises one isoform of light-isomerizable azobenzene linkers.

    • Peng Shi
    • , Enguo Ju
    •  & Xiaogang Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Traction force microscopy is an effective method of measuring forces between cells and their environment, but requires removing the cells to obtain a reference image. Here the authors use nanodrip printing of quantum dots into compliant substrates to provide a regular array of fiducial spots, removing the need for a reference image.

    • Martin Bergert
    • , Tobias Lendenmann
    •  & Aldo Ferrari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrin β2 attachment regulates inflammation via effects on neutrophil rolling and extravasation through sequential integrin extension then headpiece opening. Here the authors show an alternative open headpiece prior to extension stabilized in cisby ICAM-1 that limits neutrophil adhesion.

    • Zhichao Fan
    • , Sara McArdle
    •  & Klaus Ley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Alcohol abuse is a risk factor for acute respiratory distress syndrome, flooding of the lungs due to compromised barrier function. Here the authors report that alcohol upregulates claudin-5 that is then recruited to tight junctions in alveolar epithelial cells, causing the displacement of claudin-18 from ZO-1 and diminished barrier function.

    • Barbara Schlingmann
    • , Christian E. Overgaard
    •  & Michael Koval

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plexins are semaphorin receptors and are well known for their roles in neuronal pathfinding. Here the authors describe a role for Plexin A in healing damaged epithelia in Drosophila and zebrafish. In Drosophila, Plexin A inhibits the GTPase Rap1 to allow epithelial remodelling to facilitate wound repair.

    • Sa Kan Yoo
    • , Heath G. Pascoe
    •  & Iswar K. Hariharan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell-cell adhesion of endothelial tissue, mediated by the adhesion molecule VE-cadherin, is tightly regulated. Here the authors show that the F-BAR domain protein pacsin2 is recruited to the trailing end of mechanically unbalanced Focal Adherens Junctions, where it inhibits internalization of VE-cadherin and protects cell-cell adhesion.

    • Yvonne L. Dorland
    • , Tsveta S. Malinova
    •  & Stephan Huveneers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In the developing heart, blood flow transmits mechanical signals to progenitor cells that ultimately leads to valve formation. Here, the authors identify the origin of the valve progenitor cells and fibronectin1bas a transcriptional target of the mechanotransduced signals responsible for valve formation.

    • Emily Steed
    • , Nathalie Faggianelli
    •  & Julien Vermot

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MRTF and TAZ are mechanosensitive transcriptional coactivators, but how they functionally interact is not clear. Here the authors show that MRFT and TAZ exhibit multilevel crosstalk in expression, transport and transcriptional activity; furthermore, TAZ confers sensitivity to TGFβ activation of the smooth muscle actin promoter.

    • Pam Speight
    • , Michael Kofler
    •  & András Kapus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is known to play a role in nociception, but its role in low threshold neurosensory mechanotransduction is unclear. Here, the authors target ASIC3 expression in dorsal root ganglion parvalbumin positive neurons and find ASIC3 contributes to dynamic proprioception responses.

    • Shing-Hong Lin
    • , Yuan-Ren Cheng
    •  & Chih-Cheng Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How the shape of the sternum is regulated is unclear. Here, the authors identify the Dchs1-Fat4-planar cell polarity pathway as controlling cell orientation and cell intercalation of mesenchymal cells that form skeletal condensations for the mouse sternum, which defines the relative dimensions of the sternum.

    • Yaopan Mao
    • , Anna Kuta
    •  & Philippa Francis-West

  • Article
    | Open Access

    FLRT proteins are known to interact with Lphns and Unc5s, mediating cell adhesion and repulsion respectively. Here the authors use crystallography, native mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics simulations and cell-based assays to show that these three proteins form large super-complexes with functions distinct from their smaller subcomplexes.

    • Verity A. Jackson
    • , Shahid Mehmood
    •  & Elena Seiradake

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise positioning of organ progenitor cells is essential for organ development and function. Here the authors use live imaging and mathematical modelling to show that the confinement of a motile progenitor cell population results from coupled physical barriers and cell-cell interactions.

    • Azadeh Paksa
    • , Jan Bandemer
    •  & Erez Raz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Signals through VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) increase vascular permeability, promoting cancer progression. Here the authors show that a point mutation in VEGFR2 preventing its auto-phosphorylation leads to reduced metastatic spread and improved response to chemotherapy in tumor-bearing mice, without affecting tumor inflammation.

    • Xiujuan Li
    • , Narendra Padhan
    •  & Lena Claesson-Welsh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Planar in vitromodels for wound closure stress the role of lamellipodial protrusions and purse-string contraction. Here the authors develop a 3D biomimetic model for tissue repair and show a mode of stromal closure that relies on whole tissue deformations, cell migration and matrix deposition.

    • Mahmut Selman Sakar
    • , Jeroen Eyckmans
    •  & Christopher S. Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    E-cadherin is an adhesion molecule mediating cell-cell adhesion; correct localization is important but how localization is controlled is not clear. Here the authors use Drosophilaas a model system to distinguish three distinct trafficking pathways that direct E-cadherin to the zonula adherens.

    • Innokenty Woichansky
    • , Carlo Antonio Beretta
    •  & Veit Riechmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cadherins are typically involved in cell-cell adhesion, however cadherin-11 promotes cell migration through an undefined mechanism. Langhe et al.show that cadherin-11 mediates adhesion to the cell matrix at focal adhesions through interaction with syndecan-4.

    • Rahul P. Langhe
    • , Tetyana Gudzenko
    •  & Jubin Kashef

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During cell division, the orientation of the mitotic spindle is sensitive to forces exerted on the cell cortex. Here Petridou and Skourides show that such cues are sensed by a mechanosensory complex established on force activated integrin β1 independent of ligand binding.

    • Nicoletta I. Petridou
    •  & Paris A. Skourides

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extracellular matrix is suggested to play a role in neurogenesis, but it is unclear what role integrin signalling may play in the developing neuroepithelium. Here, in chick, Long et al. show that expression of constitutively active integrin beta-1 enhances neurogenesis via a novel Wnt7 and decorin pathway.

    • K. Long
    • , L. Moss
    •  & C. ffrench-Constant

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endomucin is expressed by endothelial cells that line postcapillary venules—the site of leukocyte recruitment during inflammation. Zahr et al.show that endomucin is an anti-adhesive molecule that is downregulated by the cytokine TNF-a and thereby helps in the transition from a quiescent to a pro-adhesive inflamed endothelium.

    • Alisar Zahr
    • , Pilar Alcaide
    •  & Pablo Argüeso

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding how ß-amyloid contributes to synapse loss and dysfunction is a central goal of Alzheimer’s disease research. Here, Leshchyns’ka et al.identify a novel mechanism by which Aß disassembles hippocampal glutamatergic synapses via cleavage of a neural cell adhesion molecule 2 (NCAM2).

    • Iryna Leshchyns’ka
    • , Heng Tai Liew
    •  & Vladimir Sytnyk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sperm-egg fusion is facilitated by the sperm-specific receptor IZUMO1 and the egg-specific counter-receptor JUNO. Here Inoue et al.show that JUNO first binds to monomeric IZUMO1; IZUMO1 then dimerizes and excludes JUNO from the sperm-egg interface, suggesting the existence of a IZUMO1 dimer receptor.

    • Naokazu Inoue
    • , Yoshihisa Hagihara
    •  & Ikuo Wada

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microvilli on epithelial cells can sense the surrounding fluid environment, but the regulatory mechanism behind their formation is mostly unknown. Here Miura et al.show that fluid shear stress serves as a trigger for microvilli formation via activation of the calcium ion channel TRPV6.

    • Shigenori Miura
    • , Koji Sato
    •  & Shoji Takeuchi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microtubules are transducers of mechanical energy in muscle cells. Here, the authors show that mechanotransduction is regulated by post-translational detyrosination of microtubules in mouse heart and skeletal muscle, and that reducing detyrosination ameliorates symptoms in a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

    • Jaclyn P. Kerr
    • , Patrick Robison
    •  & Christopher W. Ward

  • Article
    | Open Access

    To maintain viability, cells must be able to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. Here, Qi et al. show that the STOML3 protein acts in mechanosensation by binding cholesterol and regulating membrane stiffness which can in turn regulate ion flux through mechanosensitive channels.

    • Yanmei Qi
    • , Laura Andolfi
    •  & Jing Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The leading edge of migrating cells contains activated integrins associated with growing actin filaments that form ‘sticky fingers’ to guide cell migration. Here, the authors detect a complex of MRL proteins, talin and activated integrins in lamellipodia and filopodia in living cells, comprising the tips of the ‘sticky fingers’.

    • Frederic Lagarrigue
    • , Praju Vikas Anekal
    •  & Mark H. Ginsberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multiple extracellular matrix parameters influence cellular behaviour, but it is difficult to dissect their cooperative contributions. Here the authors describe a hydrogel system in which ligand density and substrate stiffness can be tuned orthogonally to study the contribution of combinations of these parameters simultaneously.

    • Andrew D. Rape
    • , Mikhail Zibinsky
    •  & Sanjay Kumar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Assembly of a collagen extracellular matrix requires the presence of fibronectin, but the mechanisms that direct this assembly are not known. Here the authors show that collagen I uses relaxed fibronectin fibrils as a template for assembly, and in turn shield fibronectin fibrils from force-mediated stretching.

    • Kristopher E. Kubow
    • , Radmila Vukmirovic
    •  & Viola Vogel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Epithelial wound closure proceeds through both crawling into the wound and by constricting an actomyosin cable in a so-called purse-string mechanism. Here the authors show that the two mechanisms are mechanically coupled and the curvature of the wound regulates the overall dynamics of wound closure.

    • Andrea Ravasio
    • , Ibrahim Cheddadi
    •  & Benoit Ladoux

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