title: Classical cadherins control nucleus and centrosome position and cell polarity.
abstract: Control of cell polarity is crucial during tissue morphogenesis and renewal, and depends on spatial cues provided by the extracellular environment. Using micropatterned substrates to impose reproducible cell-cell interactions, we show that in the absence of other polarizing cues, cell-cell contacts are the main regulator of nucleus and centrosome positioning, and intracellular polarized organization. In a variety of cell types, including astrocytes, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells, calcium-dependent cadherin-mediated cell-cell interactions induce nucleus and centrosome off-centering toward cell-cell contacts, and promote orientation of the nucleus-centrosome axis toward free cell edges. Nucleus and centrosome off-centering is controlled by N-cadherin through the regulation of cell interactions with the extracellular matrix, whereas the orientation of the nucleus-centrosome axis is determined by the geometry of N-cadherin-mediated contacts. Our results demonstrate that in addition to the specific function of E-cadherin in regulating baso-apical epithelial polarity, classical cadherins control cell polarization in otherwise nonpolarized cells.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Cell Polarity and Migration Group, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité de Recherche Associée 2582, 75724 Paris, Cedex 15, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dupin
authors.forename: Emeline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Camand
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Etienne-Manneville
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016764:Cell Polarity; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018385:Centrosome / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins