Cadherin-11 regulates protrusive activity in Xenopus cranial neural crest cells upstream of Trio and the small GTPases.
Xenopus Cadherin-11 (Xcad-11) is expressed when cranial neural crest cells (CNC) acquire motility. However, its function in stimulating cell migration is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that Xcad-11 initiates filopodia and lamellipodia formation, which is essential for CNC to populate pharyngeal pouches. We identified the cytoplasmic tail of Xcad-11 as both necessary and sufficient for proper CNC migration as long as it was linked to the plasma membrane. Our results showing that guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)-Trio binds to Xcad-11 and can functionally substitute for it like constitutively active forms of RhoA, Rac, and cdc42 unravel a novel cadherin function.
Kashef
Jubin
J
Zoologisches Institut II, Universität Karlsruhe (TH), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Köhler
Almut
A
Kuriyama
Sei
S
Alfandari
Dominique
D
Mayor
Roberto
R
Wedlich
Doris
D
D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000254:growth & development; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000502:physiology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology; D011554:Pseudopodia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology*
D015820:Cadherins; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C086960:osteoblast cadherin; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins