title: Maintenance of the Epithelial Barrier and Remodeling of Cell-Cell Junctions during Cytokinesis.
abstract: Epithelial integrity and barrier function must be maintained during the complex cell shape changes that occur during cytokinesis in vertebrate epithelial tissue. Here, we investigate how adherens junctions and bicellular and tricellular tight junctions are maintained and remodeled during cell division in the Xenopus laevis embryo. We find that epithelial barrier function is not disrupted during cytokinesis and is mediated by sustained tight junctions. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), we demonstrate that adherens junction proteins are stabilized at the cleavage furrow by increased tension. We find that Vinculin is recruited to the adherens junction at the cleavage furrow, and that inhibiting recruitment of Vinculin by expressing a dominant-negative mutant increases the rate of furrow ingression. Furthermore, we show that cells neighboring the cleavage plane are pulled between the daughter cells, making a new interface between neighbors, and two new tricellular tight junctions flank the midbody following cytokinesis. Our data provide new insight into how epithelial integrity and barrier function are maintained throughout cytokinesis in vertebrate epithelial tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Tomohito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Torey R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: Kayla M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dinshaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: annlm@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Ann L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D048749:Cytokinesis; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D036681:Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching; D062725:Tight Junction Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D016596:Vinculin / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D062725:Tight Junction Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; D016596:Vinculin
keywords: FRAP; Vinculin; Xenopus laevis; adherens junctions; contractile rings; cytokinesis; epithelial barrier function; tight junctions; tricellular tight junctions