Cell surface N-glycans influence the level of functional E-cadherin at the cell-cell border.
E-cadherin is crucial for adhesion of cells to each other and thereby development and maintenance of tissue. While it is has been established that N-glycans inside the cell impact the level of E-cadherin at the cell surface of epithelial-derived cells, it is unclear whether N-glycans outside the cell control the clustering of E-cadherin at the cell-cell border. Here, we demonstrate reduction of N-glycans at the cell surface weakened the recruitment and retention of E-cadherin at the cell-cell border, and consequently reduced the strength of cell-cell interactions. We conclude that N-glycans at the cell surface are tightly linked to the placement of E-cadherin at the cell-cell border and thereby control E-cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
M Kristen
MK
Hall
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
Douglas A
DA
Weidner
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
Sahil
S
Dayal
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
Ruth A
RA
Schwalbe
CDG, congenital disorders of glycosylation; Cell adhesion; DIC, differential interference contrast; E-cadherin; Glycosylation; L-PHA, Phaseolus vulgaris Leucoagglutinin; Membrane structure; N-glycans; TIRF, total internal reflection fluorescence