ECM - Cell adhesions Flashcards
What are characteristics of cell adhesions?
-Transient anchorage
- Cell-cell recognition
- Typically before cell junctions are established (earlier in development)
- Partially overlapping molecules with cell junctions (cadherins, integrins)
*Observed by functional assays
What are characteristics of cell junctions?
- “permanent” anchorage
- stability
- communication
*Cell junctions = all junctions from previous deck of cards, seen by electron microscopy
What are cell adhesion molecules? (CAM)
Give an example of CAMs in the neural tube.
A subset of cell surface proteins that mediate the interaction between cells, or between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM).
ex: cadherins, selectins, integrins
- In the neural tube (composed of epithelial cells) there are cell that will become neural crest cells → crawl out to the surface of the neural tube as neural crest cells
- Migration off of the surface
- Aggregation in nuclei
- Differentiation into peripheral ganglia (1st nerve cells)
What different cadherins are expressed in different stucture/stages of development of the neural tube and neural crest?
*Different cadherins specifically expressed in different areas
- Ectoderm (epithelial layer) → cells expressing E-cadherin
- Neural tube → cells expressing E-cadherin in ectoderm + cadherin 6B in at junction of the neural tube budding out + N-cadherins in the neural tube
- Ectoderm = E-cadherins, Neural tube = cells expressing cadherin 6B, N-cadherin and cadherin 7, Neural crest = cells expressing cadherin 7
*Immunofluorescence allow to see the change in pattern of gene expression → different groups of cells aggregate depending on if they express the same cadherins
What agents are used for embryonic tissue dissociation?
Trypsin → protease
EDTA → chelates divalent metal ions → used to take Ca2+ away from cell adhesion molecules with its high affinity for Ca
Kd (Ca2+) ~ 1x10^-10M
What experiment allowed to confirm cell adhesion molecules bring cells together?
- Take embryonic tissue from liver and retina
- Dissociate them with Trypsin and EDTA
- Mix them
- See how they re-associate together (cell adhesion molecules find each other)
Cell can be sorted out based on the type of cadherin they express (E- vs N-cadherin) or based on their level of E-cadherin → qualitative and quantitative differences
*Can be seen by labelling different populations of cells with different colours (fibroblasts)
What are the different types/mechanisms of cell-cell adhesion binding?
Homophilic binding (preferred, most frequent)
Heterophilic binding (preferred)
Binding through an extracellular linker molecule (occasionnaly possible, really not favoured)
What are the different families cell adhesion molecules? Which one is the exception?
- Cadherins (E-cadherin) → homophillic interactions
- Ig-superfamily CAM (N-CAM) → homophilic interactions
- Extracellular domain = Type III fibronectin repeats + Ig domains (Ig domains interact with each other) - Mucin-like CAM → heterophilic interactions, glycoproteins that interact with the lectin domain of selectins
- Integrin → heterophilic interactions (binds fibronectin), interact with fibronectin
*All Calcium binding sites except Ig-superfamily
What are the common characteristics of the cadherin superfamily and the structural variety?
All have intracellular, TM, extracellular domains
- Extracellular domain has multiple cadherin domains (related to Immunoglobulin-fold)
- Intracellular portions varies → different intracellular ligands (signaling molecules, cytoskeletal proteins, etc.)
- Single pass membrane glycoprotein → 700-750 AA
- Exception = T-cadherin → no TM domain → GPI anchor
Name different types of cadherins from the cadherin superfamily
- Classical cadherin (E-cadherin)
- Fat-like cadherins → larger extracellular portion (more cadherin domains)
- Seven-pass TM cadherins (Flamingo) → G-coupled receptor + cadherin domains
- Protein kinase cadherin (Ret) → signaling molecule as ligand??
- Cadherin 23 → multiple cadherin domains
- Protocadherins (important in CNS)
- T-cadherin → GPI-anchored
What are catenins?
They are intracellular anchor proteins essentila for binding of the cytosolic tail of cadherins to the actin filaments → essential for holding cells together
*For classical cadherins
What components of the intracellular cytoskeleton do non-classical cadherins interact with?
They mostly interact with catenins to bind actin filaments (aderhens junctions)
Some form desmosomes by interacting with intermediate filaments → interact with different anchor proteins
Explain the signal pathway of cell adhesion by classical cadherin interaction.
*Cadherin mediated
1. cell 1 and cell 2 have classical cadherins no their cell surface
2. Rac1-GDP sequestered in the cytosol by Rho GDI
3. Cadherin-mediated homophilic interaction occrus → Rac1-GDP dissociated from Rho GDI (unknown mechanism) → targeted to the membrane (in contact)
4. Cadherin activated PI3K → activates GEF → Rac1-GTP → positively regulates E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion + promote actin assembly → creates forces that push cell membranes together
What is the role of p120?
It binds to classical cadherin cytoplasmic tail and regulates cadherin function
Not involved in linkage between cadherins and actin filaments
What are selectins? (What is their structure)
White blood cells depend on selectins for moving from the blood stream to tissues (mediate blood stream cell-cell adhesions)
Calcium-dependent cell-surface oligosaccharide-binding proteins (lectins):
- TM protein
- At the tip of extracellular domains → EGF-like domain + lectin domain
- Binds oligosaccharids on target cells with lectin domains
- Unknown anchor proteins → interact with actin filaments
- Calcium dependent
What are the 3 types of selectins?
L-selectin → Lymphocytes (WBC)
E-selectins → activated endothetial cells
P-selectin → platelets, endothelial cells that have been activated by inflammatory response