Chapter category: Signal Transduction
Cell-Cell Adhesion
Rho GTPases
Edited by: Marc SymonsISBN: 0-306-47992-3
» Get more information about this book at landesbioscience.com «
Chapter authors:
Vania M.M. Braga and Martha Betson
Cell-cell adhesion is an essential process for tissue architecture. During development and differentiation, intercellular adhesion provides a selective way for choosing like-neighbours and spatial cues for cell positioning within a tissue. In addition, by modulating the type and the surface levels of cell-cell adhesion receptors, cells can change not only their morphology but also their phenotypic properties (differentiation status, gene expression profile, proliferation and migration rates). As the above cellular processes are perturbed during tumorigenesis, much effort has been put into understanding how cell-cell contacts are regulated and how they can affect so many diverse signalling events. The role of cell-cell adhesion is particularly relevant for epithelium function. An epithelium is formed by a sheet of cells tightly attached to each other. The major functions are in secretion/ absorption and as a protective barrier. Although cell-cell adhesion is essential for the differentiation of epithelia, distinct epithelial types (simple or stratified) differ somewhat in the adhesive structures present and in the distribution of proteins at junctions (see below). In this chapter, we discuss the major cell-cell adhesive system found in epithelia (adherens junctions), its interaction with the cytoskeleton and the signalling pathways that have been implicated on its functional regulation.
Additional chapters from this book:
Rho Family GTPases and Cellular Transformation
Antoine E. Karnoub and Channing J. Der
Members of the Ras-related Rho family of GTPases act as key signalling nodes that regulate a variety of crucial cellular activities including morphology, motility, and proliferation. Their aberrant ...
Regulation of the RhoGTPases by RhoGDI
Gregory R. Hoffman and Richard A. Cerione
Signal transduction pathways mediated by the Rho-family GTPases require tight temporal and spatial control. The GDI proteins are key components of the regulatory machinery controlling both the timin...
Rho GTPases in Plants
Aline H. Valster, Peter K. Hepler and Jonathan Chernoff
Plants contain a unique group of Rho family GTPases called Rop. Members of the Rop subgroup are numerous and highly similar to each other. They share some basic signalling properties with Rho family...
The Dictyostelium Rho Family of Proteins
David Seastone and James A. Cardelli
The Rho family of small GTPases is found in all eukaryotic cells and participates in the regulation of a diverse number of different biological processes, including the regulation of motility, phago...
Cell-Cell Adhesion
Vania M.M. Braga and Martha Betson
Cell-cell adhesion is an essential process for tissue architecture. During development and differentiation, intercellular adhesion provides a selective way for choosing like-neighbours and spatial c...
Rho GTPases in the Organization of the Actin Cytoskeleton
Ed Manser
Cells change their shape by altering their internal cytoskeleton. It has become apparent that in all eukaryotes Rho-family GTPases orchestrate changes to the actin cytoskeleton. In the last few year...
Intracellular Targeting of Rho Family GTPases: Implications of Localization on Function
David Michaelson, Mark Rush and Mark R. Philips
Rho proteins are Ras-related GTPases that regulate a wide variety of cellular processes. More than fifteen mammalian Rho proteins have been described including RhoA-E, G and H, Rac1-3, two isoforms ...
Signalling Networks of Rho GTPases
Emmanuel Vignal, Anne Blangy and Philippe Fort
GTPases of the Rho family act as molecular switches that convert extracellular signals into multiple cellular effects. Although more than 20 members are known in mammals, only RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 h...
Rho GTPases in Lipid Metabolism
Maikel P. Peppelenbosch
In view of the fundamental importance of both the activation of Rho-like GTPases as well as the stimulation of phospholipid metabolism for cellular signal transduction, it should come as no surp...
Rho Family Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
Ian P. Whitehead
The guanine nucleotide exchange factors for the Rho GTPases (RhoGEFs) are a large family of proteins that share a dual structural motif designated the DH/PH domain. The interaction of Rho with r...
Rnd Proteins: Intriguing Members of the Rho Family
Pierre Chardin
The three Rnd proteins form a distinct sub-branch of the Rho family. They appear to differ from most other Rho family proteins in their basic functional cycle (see Preface). Rnd1 and Rnd3 exchan...
