Role of cell adhesions in neural development: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:31, 21 March 2013

Revision as of 22:31, 2 April 2013

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Cellular adhesions can be defined as proteins or protein aggregates that form mechanical and chemical linkages between the intracellular and extracellular space. Adhesions serve several critical processes including cell migration, signal transduction, tissue development and repair. Due to this functionality, adhesions and adhesion molecules have been a topic of study within the scientific community. Specifically, it has been found that adhesions are involved in tissue development, plasticity, and memory formation within the central nervous system (CNS), and may prove vital in the generation of CNS-specific therapeutics.

[[File:Adhesion diagram.jpg|thumb|alt=A | Image courtesy of wikipediaWikipedia user JWSchmidt under the GNU Free Documentation License]]

==Adhesion classifications==

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===Cadherin dependent migration===

Scaffold cell-dependent migration, in which neuronal cadherin (N-cadheren) adhesive molecules are tightly regulated, provides one mode of motility in devlopingdeveloping neuron tissue. During cell migration, N-cadheren binds the neuron to a glial fiber, and allows for transfer of force, generated by an intracellular actin network treadmilling , to the glial fiber. Force transmission across the cell-[[glial cell|glial fiber]] interface sums over many individual N-cadheren/glial-fiber interactions, allowing required levels of traction force essential for migration. It has also been shown that these adhesive cadherin molecules are internalized, and recycled by the migratory neuron. This cadherin recycling mechanism is thought to be substantial in the neural adhesion-based migratory pathway.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kawauchi|first=T|title=Cell Adhesion and Its Endocytic Regulation in Cell Migration during Neural Development and Cancer Metastasis|journal=International Journal of Molecular Science|year=2012|volume=13|series=4|pages=4564–4590}}</ref> Cadherin based migration is essential to tissue organization in the central nervous system, specifically in cortical layer formation.

It has also been sugguested that the N-cadherin pathway may be crucial in neuron [[Cell differentiation|differentiation]], as knockdown of the N-cadherin pathway leads to premature neuron differentiation.