title: alpha-Catenin as a tension transducer that induces adherens junction development.
abstract: Adherens junctions (AJs), which are organized by adhesion proteins and the underlying actin cytoskeleton, probably sense pulling forces from adjacent cells and modulate opposing forces to maintain tissue integrity, but the regulatory mechanism remains unknown at the molecular level. Although the possibility that alpha-catenin acts as a direct linker between the membrane and the actin cytoskeleton for AJ formation and function has been minimized, here we show that alpha-catenin recruits vinculin, another main actin-binding protein of AJs, through force-dependent changes in alpha-catenin conformation. We identified regions in the alpha-catenin molecule that are required for its force-dependent binding of vinculin by introducing mutant alpha-catenin into cells and using in vitro binding assays. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis for alpha-catenin mobility and the existence of an antibody recognizing alpha-catenin in a force-dependent manner further supported the notion that alpha-catenin is a tension transducer that translates mechanical stimuli into a chemical response, resulting in AJ development.
authors.affiliation: Electron Microscope Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan. yonemura@cdb.riken.jp
authors.forename: Shigenobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yonemura
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagafuchi
authors.forename: Mai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibata
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016596:Vinculin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051178:alpha Catenin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D051178:alpha Catenin; D016596:Vinculin
references.citation: Development. 1991 Jan;111(1):159-69
references.pmid: 2015791
references.citation: Mol Biol Cell. 2005 Oct;16(10):4531-42
references.pmid: 16030252
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Feb 4;94(3):901-6
references.pmid: 9023354
references.citation: J Biol Chem. 2002 May 24;277(21):18868-74
references.pmid: 11907041
references.citation: Science. 2007 Aug 3;317(5838):663-6
references.pmid: 17673662
references.citation: Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2007;23:237-61
references.pmid: 17539752
references.citation: Cell. 2006 Dec 1;127(5):1015-26
references.pmid: 17129785
references.citation: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2004 Aug;5(8):614-25
references.pmid: 15366705
references.citation: PLoS One. 2007 Aug 01;2(7):e658
references.pmid: 17668046
references.citation: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2001 Apr;2(4):285-93
references.pmid: 11283726
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1999 Mar 22;144(6):1311-22
references.pmid: 10087272
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Apr 14;95(8):4362-7
references.pmid: 9539742
references.citation: Mol Cell. 2006 Jan 20;21(2):271-81
references.pmid: 16427016
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1998 Aug 10;142(3):847-57
references.pmid: 9700171
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1994 Oct;127(1):247-56
references.pmid: 7929567
references.citation: Nature. 2002 Dec 5;420(6915):563-73
references.pmid: 12466851
references.citation: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2007 Aug;8(8):633-44
references.pmid: 17643125
references.citation: Cell. 2001 Feb 23;104(4):605-17
references.pmid: 11239416
references.citation: Science. 2003 Mar 14;299(5613):1743-7
references.pmid: 12637748
references.citation: Development. 2004 Jul;131(13):3021-34
references.pmid: 15197160
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1998 May 4;141(3):755-64
references.pmid: 9566974
references.citation: Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1995 Oct;7(5):619-27
references.pmid: 8573335
references.citation: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2005 Aug;6(8):622-34
references.pmid: 16025097
references.citation: Nature. 2006 Mar 2;440(7080):38-9
references.pmid: 16511482
references.citation: Cell. 1992 Jul 24;70(2):293-301
references.pmid: 1638632
references.citation: EMBO J. 2001 Jul 16;20(14):3645-56
references.pmid: 11447106
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Jul;77(7):4127-31
references.pmid: 6776523
references.citation: Mol Biol Cell. 2008 Sep;19(9):3801-11
references.pmid: 18596233
references.citation: Exp Cell Res. 2006 May 15;312(9):1637-50
references.pmid: 16519885
references.citation: Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2006 Oct;18(5):472-81
references.pmid: 16930976
references.citation: Science. 2007 May 25;316(5828):1144-8
references.pmid: 17525328
references.citation: Nature. 1995 Jan 19;373(6511):261-4
references.pmid: 7816144
references.citation: Development. 1998 Jan;125(2):327-37
references.pmid: 9486805
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Aug 15;88(16):7036-40
references.pmid: 1908087
references.citation: Cell. 2005 Dec 2;123(5):903-15
references.pmid: 16325583
references.citation: Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2006 Oct;18(5):541-8
references.pmid: 16905303
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1986 Feb;102(2):457-68
references.pmid: 3511070
references.citation: Nat Neurosci. 2004 Apr;7(4):357-63
references.pmid: 15034585
references.citation: Cell Commun Adhes. 2006 May-Jun;13(3):151-70
references.pmid: 16798615
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1994 Oct;127(1):235-45
references.pmid: 7929566
references.citation: Mol Biol Cell. 2007 Feb;18(2):605-16
references.pmid: 17151359
references.citation: Mol Biol Cell. 2005 Jun;16(6):2636-50
references.pmid: 15800060
references.citation: Science. 2009 Jan 30;323(5914):638-41
references.pmid: 19179532
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jan 8;105(1):13-9
references.pmid: 18093941
references.citation: Cell. 2005 Dec 2;123(5):889-901
references.pmid: 16325582
references.citation: Dev Biol. 1967 May;15(5):432-50
references.pmid: 6032487
references.citation: Nature. 2008 Jun 5;453(7196):751-6
references.pmid: 18480755
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1989 Nov;109(5):2129-38
references.pmid: 2553743
references.citation: J Cell Sci. 1995 Jan;108 ( Pt 1):127-42
references.pmid: 7738090
references.citation: Nature. 2003 Apr 17;422(6933):766-74
references.pmid: 12700771