title: Cadherin complexity: recent insights into cadherin superfamily function in C. elegans.
abstract: Cadherin superfamily proteins mediate cell-cell adhesion during development. The C. elegans embryo is a powerful system for analyzing how cadherins function in highly stereotyped morphogenetic events. In the embryo, the classical cadherin HMR-1 acts along with the Rac pathway and SAX-7/L1CAM during gastrulation. As adherens junctions mature, PAR complex proteins differentially regulate cadherin complex localization, and SRGP-1/Slit/Robo GAP aids adhesion by promoting membrane bending. Once adherens junctions form, actin is linked to the cell surface via HMP-1/α-catenin, whose actin binding activity is regulated in novel ways. FMI-1/Flamingo and CDH-4/Fat-like regulate axonal morphology of both pioneer and follower neurons. C. elegans thus continues to be useful for uncovering precise functions for cadherin superfamily proteins and their associates in a simple metazoan.
authors: Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors: Timothy
authors: T
authors: Loveless
authors: Jeff
authors: J
authors: Hardin
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000145:classification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051177:Catenins / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D054262:Gastrulation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015820:Cadherins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051177:Catenins; C450060:hmr-1 protein, C elegans; C512642:par-6 protein, C elegans; C097238:PAR-3 protein, C elegans; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases