title: Desmosomal adhesion regulates epithelial morphogenesis and cell positioning.
abstract: Desmosomes are intercellular junctions of epithelia and are of widespread importance in the maintenance of tissue architecture. We provide evidence that desmosomal adhesion has a function in epithelial morphogenesis and cell-type-specific positioning. Blocking peptides corresponding to the cell adhesion recognition (CAR) sites of desmosomal cadherins block alveolar morphogenesis by epithelial cells from mammary lumen. Desmosomal CAR-site peptides also disrupt positional sorting of luminal and myoepithelial cells in aggregates formed by the reassociation of isolated cells. We demonstrate that desmosomal cadherins and E-cadherin are comparably involved in epithelial morphoregulation. The results indicate a wider role for desmosomal adhesion in morphogenesis than has previously been considered.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, 3.239 Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Runswick
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: O'Hare
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Streuli
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Garrod
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001940:Breast / Q000166:cytology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002417:Cattle; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002460:Cell Line; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D051180:Desmoplakins; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D016023:Integrins / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D009024:Morphogenesis; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D051180:Desmoplakins; D016023:Integrins