title: Fast dissociation kinetics between individual E-cadherin fragments revealed by flow chamber analysis.
abstract: E-cadherin is the predominant adhesion molecule of epithelia. The interaction between extracellular segments of E-cadherin in the membrane of opposing cells is homophilic and calcium dependent. Whereas it is widely accepted that the specificity of the adhesive interaction is localized to the N-terminal domain, the kinetics of the recognition process are unknown. We report the first quantitative data describing the dissociation kinetics of individual E-cadherin interactions. Aggregation assays indicate that the two outermost domains of E-cadherin (E/EC1-2) retain biological activity when chemically immobilized on glass beads. Cadherin fragment trans-interaction was analysed using a flow chamber technique. Transient tethers had first-order kinetics, suggesting a unimolecular interaction. The unstressed lifetime of individual E-cadherin interactions was as brief as 2 s. A fast off rate and the low tensile strength of the E-cadherin bond may be necessary to support the high selectivity and plasticity of epithelial cell interactions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Morphogenèse Cellulaire et Différenciation Tumorale, UMR 144, CNRS/Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, F-75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perret
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Benoliel
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nassoy
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierres
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thiery
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bongrand
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feracci
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D015820:Cadherins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D051381:Rats; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins