Spatial and temporal relationships between cadherins and PECAM-1 in cell-cell junctions of human endothelial cells.

作者：Oran Ayalon, Helena Sabanai, Maria Grazia Lampugnani, Elisabetta Dejana, Benjamin Geiger · 发表于：The Journal of Cell Biology · 年份：1994 · DOI：10.1083/jcb.126.1.247 · 被引用次数：198 · 研究领域：Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer、Cancer-related gene regulation、Cell Adhesion Molecules Research

The integrity of the endothelial layer, which lines the entire cavity of the vascular system, depends on tight adhesion of the cells to the underlying basement membrane as well as to each other. It has been previously shown that such interactions occur via membrane receptors that determine the specificity, topology, and mechanical properties of the surface adhesion. Cell-cell junctions between endothelial cells, in culture and in situ, involve both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent mechanisms that are mediated by distinct adhesion molecules. Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell adhesion occurs mostly via members of the cadherin family, which locally anchor the microfilament system to the plasma membrane, in adherens junctions. Ca(2+)-independent adhesions were reported to mainly involve members of the Ig superfamily. In this study, we performed three-dimensional microscopic analysis of the relative subcellular distributions of these two endothelial intercellular adhesion systems. We show that cadherins are located at adjacent (usually more apical), yet clearly distinct domains of the lateral plasma membrane, compared to PECAM-1. Moreover, cadherins were first organized in adherens junctions within 2 h after seeding of endothelial cells, forming multiple lateral patches which developed into an extensive belt-like structure over a period of 24 h. PECAM-1 became associated with surface adhesions significantly later and became progressively associated with the cadherin-containing adhesions...