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Structural and functional evolution of epithelia and cell‐cell adhesion complexes
Author(s) -
Nelson W. James
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.75.1
Subject(s) - cadherin , microbiology and biotechnology , adhesion , cell adhesion , biology , epithelium , cytoskeleton , cell , actin , actin cytoskeleton , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry
A tube surrounded by a layer of cells, called a simple epithelium, is the most basic tissue organization in animals. Epithelial organization, which requires cadherin‐catenin cell adhesion complexes that glue cells together and organize the interior cytoskeleton of the cells, is thought to have evolved at the time animals first appeared, about 600 million years ago. I will show that an epithelial tube occurs in organisms that are much more primitive than animals, and that the mechanisms involved are similar to those in animals. Detailed biochemical analysis of cadherin‐catenin complexes during evolution reveals variations in mechanisms regulating cell‐cell adhesion and actin cytoskeleton interactions that may be tailored to specific functional requirements in different systems.