articleProceedings of the National Academy of SciencesJan 17, 2012BRONZE OA

Spatial organization of the extracellular matrix regulates cell–cell junction positioning

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Université Joseph Fourier · +9 more institutions

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Abstract

The organization of cells into epithelium depends on cell interaction with both the extracellular matrix (ECM) and adjacent cells. The role of cell-cell adhesion in the regulation of epithelial topology is well-described. ECM is better known to promote cell migration and provide a structural scaffold for cell anchoring, but its contribution to multicellular morphogenesis is less well-understood. We developed a minimal model system to investigate how ECM affects the spatial organization of intercellular junctions. Fibronectin micropatterns were used to constrain the location of cell-ECM adhesion. We found that ECM affects the degree of stability of intercellular junction positioning and the magnitude of intra-…

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