alphaT-catenin: a novel tissue-specific beta-catenin-binding protein mediating strong cell-cell adhesion.
Cadherins are major cell-cell adhesion proteins whose cytoplasmic domains bind to catenin proteins. Strong intercellular adhesion depends on linkage of the cadherin/catenin complex to the actin cytoskeleton via alpha-catenin. To date, it is not clear how different cell types achieve the variable strength of cell-cell adhesion clearly needed in a ... multicellular organism. Here, we report the cloning and molecular characterization of alphaT(testis)-catenin, a novel human cDNA encoding a protein with homology to both human alphaE(epithelial)-catenin and alphaN(neural)-catenin. Although originally discovered in testis, alphaT-catenin is expressed in other tissues, the highest levels being observed in heart. Immunohistochemical analysis showed human alphaT-catenin localization at intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes and in peritubular myoid cells of testis. In cells transfected with alphaT-catenin cDNA, interaction with beta-catenin was demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation. Transfection of alpha-catenin-deficient colon carcinoma cells recruited E-cadherin and beta-catenin to cell-cell contacts and functional cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion was restored in this way. Moreover, compaction of these cells was at least as prominent as in the case of cells expressing endogenous alphaE-catenin. We propose that alphaT-catenin is necessary for the formation of stretch-resistant cell-cell adhesion complexes, in particular, muscle cells.
Mesh Terms:
Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Blotting, Western, Cadherins, Cell Adhesion, Cell Communication, Cell Line, Cells, Cultured, Cloning, Molecular, Cytoskeletal Proteins, DNA, Complementary, Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Luminescent Proteins, Male, Mice, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscles, Myocardium, Plasmids, Precipitin Tests, Protein Binding, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Testis, Tissue Distribution, Trans-Activators, Transfection, Tumor Cells, Cultured, Vinculin, alpha Catenin, beta Catenin
Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Blotting, Western, Cadherins, Cell Adhesion, Cell Communication, Cell Line, Cells, Cultured, Cloning, Molecular, Cytoskeletal Proteins, DNA, Complementary, Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Luminescent Proteins, Male, Mice, Microscopy, Fluorescence, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscles, Myocardium, Plasmids, Precipitin Tests, Protein Binding, Protein Structure, Tertiary, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Testis, Tissue Distribution, Trans-Activators, Transfection, Tumor Cells, Cultured, Vinculin, alpha Catenin, beta Catenin
J. Cell. Sci.
Date: Sep. 01, 2001
PubMed ID: 11590244
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