Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0001511 (Adhesion)
 5,955 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Adhesions of cells to extracellular matrix and adjacent cells are mediated by integrins and VE-cadherin, respectively. Although these adhesion processes play crucial roles in vascular cell migration and angiogenesis, it remains unclear as to how they are coordinated to regulate cellular functions. We report here that integrin engagement by treating bovine endothelial aortic cell monolayers with beads coated with fibronectin (Fn) led to disruption of the VE-cadherin-containing adherens junctions. This disruption was accompanied by increases of tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, gamma-catenin, and p120ctn, as well as the dissociation of alpha-catenin and gamma-catenin from VE-cadherin. We applied a membrane-targeted Src reporter based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer technique to visualize the dynamic Src activation at subcellular levels in live cells. The integrin engagement induced by Fn-coated beads caused the activation of Src around the beads and at adherens junctions, which are subsequently disrupted. The inhibition of Src with PP1 blocked the effects of integrin engagement on adherens junctions. Although Ras can also modulate adherens junctions, the resulting patterns of phosphorylation and association of junction proteins were distinct from those induced by integrin engagement. The inhibition of Ras by RasN17 did not rescue the disruption of adherens junctions induced by integrin engagement or by Src activation. Integrin engagement by Fn-coated beads also induced a significant alteration of cortical actin filaments at adherens junctions. The results indicate that integrin engagement disrupts VE-cadherin-containing adherens junctions via the activation of Src, but not Ras, possibly as a result of modulation of the actin network.
 ...
PMID:Integrins regulate VE-cadherin and catenins: dependence of this regulation on Src, but not on Ras. 1644 27

The cytoplasmic tail of cadherins is thought to regulate the strength and dynamics of cell-cell adhesion. Part of its regulatory activity has been attributed to a membrane-proximal region, the juxtamembrane domain (JMD), and its interaction with members of the p120 catenin subfamily. We show that titration of xARVCF, a member of this family, to the plasma membrane disrupts adhesion in the early embryo. Adhesion can be restored by coexpression of constitutively active Rac, suggesting that intracellular signaling is the primary cause in the loss of adhesion phenotype. Our observations suggest that the recruitment of p120 type catenins to the plasma membrane by the cadherin cytoplasmic tail may create protein complexes, which actively modulate the adhesion "status" of embryonic cells.
 ...
PMID:Inhibition of cell adhesion by xARVCF indicates a regulatory function at the plasma membrane. 1872 4

Stress has been proposed to be a tumor promoting factor through the secretion of specific neuromediators, such as Urocortin2 and 3 (Ucn2/3), however its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains elusive. We observed that Ucn2/3 and their receptor the Corticotropin Releasing Factor receptor 2 (CRF2) were up-regulated in high grade and poorly differentiated CRC. This suggests a role for CRF2 in the loss of cellular organization and tumor progression. Using HT-29 and SW620 cells, two CRC cell lines differing in their abilities to perform cell-cell contacts, we found that CRF2 signals through Src/ERK pathway to induce the alteration of cell-cell junctions and the shuttle of p120ctn and Kaiso in the nucleus. In HT-29 cells, this signaling pathway also leads to the remodeling of cell adhesion by i) the phosphorylation of Focal Adhesion Kinase and ii) a modification of actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion complexes. These events stimulate cell migration and invasion. In conclusion, our findings indicate that CRF2 signaling controls cellular organization and may promote metastatic potential of human CRC cells through an epithelial-mesenchymal transition like process. This contributes to the comprehension of the tumor-promoting effects of stress molecules and designates Ucn2/3-CRF2 tandem as a target to prevent CRC progression and aggressiveness.
...
PMID:CRF2 signaling is a novel regulator of cellular adhesion and migration in colorectal cancer cells. 2426 Feb