Vascular endothelial cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion regulated by a small GTPase, Rap1.
Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), which belongs to the classical cadherin family, is localized at adherens junctions exclusively in vascular endothelial cells. Biochemical and biomechanical cues regulate the VE-cadherin adhesive potential by triggering the intracellular signals. VE-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion is required for cell survival and endothelial cell deadhesion is required for vascular development. It is therefore crucial to understand how VE-cadherin-based cell adhesion is controlled. This review summarizes the inter-endothelial cell adhesions and introduces our recent advance in Rap1-regulated VE-cadherin adhesion. A further analysis of the VE-cadherin recycling system will aid the understanding of cell adhesion/deadhesion mechanisms mediated by VE-cadherin in response to extracellular stimuli during development and angiogenesis.
Department of Structural Analysis, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, 5-7-1 Fujishirodai, Suita, Osaka 565-8565, Japan.
Shigetomo
S
Fukuhra
Atsuko
A
Sakurai
Akiko
A
Yamagishi
Keisuke
K
Sako
Naoki
N
Mochizuki
D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D015820:Cadherins; D020827:rap1 GTP-Binding Proteins