Abstract
Background E-cadherin plays a pivotal role in tissue morphogenesis by forming clusters that support intercellular adhesion and transmit tension. What controls E-cadherin mesoscopic organization in clusters is unclear. Results We use 3D superresolution quantitative microscopy in Drosophila embryos to characterize the size distribution of E-cadherin nanometric clusters. The cluster size follows power-law distributions over three orders of magnitude with exponential decay at large cluster sizes. By exploring the predictions of a general theoretical framework including cluster fusion and fission events and recycling of E-cadherin, we identify two distinct active mechanisms setting the cluster-size distribution. Dynamin-dependent endocytosis targets large clusters only, thereby imposing a cutoff size. Moreover, interactions between E-cadherin clusters and actin filaments control the fission in a size-dependent manner. Conclusions E-cadherin clustering depends on key cortical regulators, which provide tunable and local control over E-cadherin organization. Our data provide the foundation for a quantitative understanding of how E-cadherin distribution affects adhesion and might regulate force transmission in vivo.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2197-2207 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Current Biology |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 22 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 18 2013 |
Funding
We thank R. Levayer and J.M. Philippe for preparing the E-cad::EosFP construct, A. Pelissier-Monier for TEM micrographs, and everyone who provided us with reagents. We also thank all members of the Lenne and Lecuit laboratories for discussions and comments on the manuscript. We thank Jitu Mayor for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by the CNRS, the Fondation de la Recherche Médicale (FRM), the HFSP, the ANR-Blanc and the national infrastructure France Bio-Imaging. B.-A.T.Q. was supported by a PhD fellowship by the Région PACA-Andor Technology and Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (ARC).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences