The importance of cell-cell adhesion and cell polarity Flashcards
(22 cards)
What cells do most human cancer originate from
Epithelial
Connect cell– cell contact sites at the plasma membrane to the intermediate filament cytoskeleton
Desmosomes
What is the most basal cell-cell junction
Desmosomes
Rope-like fibres made of intermediate filament proteins
Intermediate filaments
What cell-cell junctions are important for conferring strength to tissues that must resist large
amounts of mechanical stress
Desmosomes
What cell-cell junctions sit between tight junctions and desmosomes
Adherens junctions
Fundamental both for intercellular adhesion in epithelia and for enabling the dynamic rearrangements of epithelia
Adherens junctions
Major proteins called ___________
mediate AJ assembly and cell-cell
adhesion
Cadherins
What part of the cell are AJ’s linked to
Actin cytoskeleton
What complex forms a hub for protein-protein interactions that
determine tissue architecture
Cadherin-catenin complex
Cadherins are ________ dependent
calcium
Most apical intercellular junction mediating adhesion of epithelial cells
Tight junctions
What are key roles of tight junctions
- Main barrier and fence function of epithelia
- Maintaining cell polarity
What are the major proteins for tight junctions
Occludin, claudins, zona
occludens
Abnormal structure or loosening/opening leads to _______ TJs
leaky
What cell-cell junctions play an essential role in maintaining apicobasal cell polarity
Tight Junctions
Asymmetric organisation of cellular components
Cell polarity
Loss of _______ is a hallmark of epithelial cancer
cell polarity
Loss of cell polarity can result from
Genetic mutations or deregulation of cell polarity proteins or loss of cell-cell adhesion
Loss of _______ can promote cancer
E-cadherin and ZO-1
Cells detach from ECM, lose cell-cell junctions and polarity and acquire migratory phenotype
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
