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Comment
. 2017 Nov 6;216(11):3437-3439.
doi: 10.1083/jcb.201709056. Epub 2017 Oct 19.

So far, yet so close: α-Catenin dimers help migrating cells get together

Laura Machesky  1 , Vania M M Braga  2
Affiliations
Comment

So far, yet so close: α-Catenin dimers help migrating cells get together

Laura Machesky et al. J Cell Biol. .

Abstract

Epithelial cells in tissues use their actin cytoskeletons to stick together, whereas unattached cells make active plasma membrane protrusions to migrate. In this issue, Wood et al. (2017. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201612006) show that the junction component α-catenin is critical in freely moving cells to promote adhesion and migration.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The dimeric form of α-catenin interacts preferentially with PIP3 at the membrane of single cells and promotes the formation of long, extended filopodia that may establish attachment with neighboring cells. Monomeric α-catenin is the form that interacts with β-catenin in cadherin complexes at adhesion sites. Forcible dimerization of α-catenin mutants that do not bind PIP3 prevents filopodia formation and promotes faster wound closure of epithelial sheets. Strikingly, expression of these PIP3-binding defective mutants also interferes with the stability of cadherin-based adhesions.
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