title: Roles of the cellular prion protein in the regulation of cell-cell junctions and barrier function.
abstract: The cellular prion protein was historically characterized owing to its misfolding in prion disease. Although its physiological role remains incompletely understood, PrP(C) has emerged as an evolutionary conserved, multifaceted protein involved in a wide-range of biological processes. PrP(C) is a GPI-anchored protein targeted to the plasma membrane, in raft microdomains, where its interaction with a repertoire of binding partners, which differ depending on cell models, mediates its functions. Among identified PrP(C) partners are cell adhesion molecules. This review will focus on the multiple implications of PrP(C) in cell adhesion processes, mainly the regulation of cell-cell junctions in epithelial and endothelial cells and the consequences on barrier properties. We will show how recent findings argue for a role of PrP(C) in the recruitment of signaling molecules, which in turn control the targeting or the stability of adhesion complexes at the plasma membrane.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France ; INSERM; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Constance S V
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France ; INSERM; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Besnier
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France ; INSERM; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morel
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France ; INSERM; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rousset
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France ; INSERM; Paris, France ; Université Paris Descartes; Paris, France ; Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes; Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire ; Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thenet
keywords: Src family kinases; adherens junctions; cell adhesion; cell signaling; cellular prion protein PrPC; desmosomes; intestinal barrier; raft; tight junctions