title: Defining the roles of α-catenin in cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization: isolation of F9 cells completely lacking cadherin-catenin complex.
abstract: To define the roles of α-catenin in cell-cell adhesion, the E-cadherin, α-catenin, β-catenin, and/or plakoglobin genes were inactivated in F9 teratocarcinoma cells. An E-cadherin-α-catenin fusion protein (Eα) restored full cell-adhesion function and organized the actin-based cytoskeleton and ZO-1, an actin filament binding protein, in F9 cells lacking all endogenous cadherin-catenin complex components. There were two types of cadherin-based cell-adhesion junctions in parental F9 cells, those with ZO-1 and those without ZO-1, and only junctions with ZO-1 were associated with thick actin bundles. Additionally, ZO-1 localized to most Eα-based cell-adhesion junctions. These data demonstrated that Eα supported cadherin-based cell adhesion and recruited actin bundles and ZO-1 to cell-cell contact sites in the absence of cytoplasmic α-catenin. Moreover, the C-terminal half of α-catenin was involved in the formation of cell-adhesion junctions with ZO-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Interactions, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutaka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozono
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimamura
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagafuchi
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D051178:alpha Catenin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015820:Cadherins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C569043:Tjp1 protein, mouse; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein; D051178:alpha Catenin