Adeline Chervin-Pétinot
Dynamic of adherens junction: EPLINs' role in stabilization of intercellular contacts in the vascular endothelium
Published on 7 October 2011
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Thesis presented October 07, 2011
Abstract:
In vascular endothelium, cell/cell adhesion is mediated by homophilic interactions of VE-cadherin molecules (= adherens junctions). Cytoskeleton and junction dynamics are important for intercellular junctions remodeling that occurs during angiogenesis, vasculogenesis and endothelium repair. We learn from the literature that EPLIN is involved in E-cadherin/α
-catenin/actin complex formation and cortical actin stabilization. Usually described as a protein specific of epithelial models, we wondered if EPLIN is able to link VE-cadherin complex to actin cytoskeleton. Our data showed for the first time that EPLIN is expressed at similar level in epithelial and endothelial cells. Our experiments contributed to establish that EPLIN interact with α
-catenin in the VE-cadherin/catenins complex suggesting a new way to anchor the actin cytoskeleton to VE-cadherin complex. Functional tests using cells expressing EPLIN or not highlighted the contribution of EPLIN to neovascularization. While the mechanisms by which EPLIN favors pseudovascular structures formation remain unknown, it will be possible, in the future, to employ new approaches, developed by physicists and chemists, to address this issue from a mechanical point of view.
Keywords:
Adherens junction, VE-cadherin, EPLIN, Actin
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