Interaction of alpha-actinin with the cadherin/catenin cell-cell adhesion complex via alpha-catenin.
Cadherins are Ca(2+)-dependent, cell surface glycoproteins involved in cell-cell adhesion. Extracellularly, transmembrane cadherins such as E-, P-, and N-cadherin self-associate, while intracellularly they interact indirectly with the actin-based cytoskeleton. Several intracellular proteins termed catenins, including alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, and plakoglobin, are tightly associated with these cadherins and serve to link them ... to the cytoskeleton. Here, we present evidence that in fibroblasts alpha-actinin, but not vinculin, colocalizes extensively with the N-cadherin/catenin complex. This is in contrast to epithelial cells where both cytoskeletal proteins colocalize extensively with E-cadherin and catenins. We further show that alpha-actinin, but not vinculin, coimmunoprecipitates specifically with alpha- and beta-catenin from N- and E-cadherin-expressing cells, but only if alpha-catenin is present. Moreover, we show that alpha-actinin coimmunoprecipitates with the N-cadherin/catenin complex in an actin-independent manner. We therefore propose that cadherin/catenin complexes are linked to the actin cytoskeleton via a direct association between alpha-actinin and alpha-catenin.
Mesh Terms:
Actinin, Cadherins, Calcium, Cell Adhesion, Cell Line, Cytoskeletal Proteins, Cytoskeleton, Fibroblasts, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Humans, Macromolecular Substances, Precipitin Tests, Vinculin, alpha Catenin
Actinin, Cadherins, Calcium, Cell Adhesion, Cell Line, Cytoskeletal Proteins, Cytoskeleton, Fibroblasts, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Humans, Macromolecular Substances, Precipitin Tests, Vinculin, alpha Catenin
J. Cell Biol.
Date: Jul. 01, 1995
PubMed ID: 7790378
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