title: Nectins establish a checkerboard-like cellular pattern in the auditory epithelium.
abstract: In the auditory epithelium of the cochlea, the sensory hair cells and supporting cells are arranged in a checkerboard-like fashion, but the mechanism underlying this cellular patterning is unclear. We found that mouse hair cells and supporting cells express the immunoglobulin-like adhesion molecules nectin-1 and -3, respectively, and that their interaction mediates the heterotypic adhesion between these two cell types. Genetic removal of nectin-1 or -3 disrupted the checkerboard-like pattern, inducing aberrant attachment between hair cells. When cells expressing either nectin-1 or -3 were cocultured, they arranged themselves into a mosaic pattern. Thus, nectin-1 and -3 promote the formation of the checkerboard-like pattern of the auditory epithelia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideru
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Kanoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kominami
authors.forename: Masazumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waseda
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komura
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeichi
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D000075983:Nectins; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C000619010:NECTIN1 protein, human; C000619015:Nectin1 protein, mouse; D000075983:Nectins; D012333:RNA, Messenger