Cell adhesion in development: a complex signaling network.
Cell-adhesion molecules play a major role in morphogenesis and organogenesis. In vertebrates, a significant fraction of genes encode cell-adhesion molecules. Multiple signal-transduction pathways have been described that modulate the adhesion process. These pathways have been studied in great detail for cadherins and integrins - two major adhesion systems controlling cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. Recent findings confirm that a given cell-adhesion molecule can be implicated at different stages of development in processes as diverse as cell positioning, tissue patterning and compartmentalization, axon guidance and synaptogenesis. Clearly, a wide variety of new biophysical techniques and genomic approaches will permit analysis of the roles of adhesive interactions in development to be addressed with far greater precision.
Thiery
Jean Paul
JP
Unit Mixte de Recherche, 144 Centre National Recherche Scientifique, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75248 cedex 05, France. jpthiery@curie.fr
D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000502:physiology; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008648:Mesoderm; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000196:embryology; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D015820:Cadherins; D019041:L-Selectin