title: Modulation of mouse neural crest cell motility by N-cadherin and connexin 43 gap junctions.
abstract: Connexin 43 (Cx43alpha1) gap junction has been shown to have an essential role in mediating functional coupling of neural crest cells and in modulating neural crest cell migration. Here, we showed that N-cadherin and wnt1 are required for efficient dye coupling but not for the expression of Cx43alpha1 gap junctions in neural crest cells. Cell motility was found to be altered in the N-cadherin-deficient neural crest cells, but the alterations were different from that elicited by Cx43alpha1 deficiency. In contrast, wnt1-deficient neural crest cells showed no discernible change in cell motility. These observations suggest that dye coupling may not be a good measure of gap junction communication relevant to motility. Alternatively, Cx43alpha1 may serve a novel function in motility. We observed that p120 catenin (p120ctn), an Armadillo protein known to modulate cell motility, is colocalized not only with N-cadherin but also with Cx43alpha1. Moreover, the subcellular distribution of p120ctn was altered with N-cadherin or Cx43alpha1 deficiency. Based on these findings, we propose a model in which Cx43alpha1 and N-cadherin may modulate neural crest cell motility by engaging in a dynamic cross-talk with the cell's locomotory apparatus through p120ctn signaling.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Goddard Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Radice
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions; D005838:Genotype; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D000095002:Delta Catenin
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018031:Connexin 43; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C495246:Wnt1 protein, mouse; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D000095002:Delta Catenin; C000722349:Ctnnd1 protein, mouse