A novel approach to cell adhesion/cytoskeleton research for exploring the epithelia cell system

为了了解上皮细胞片的生物学功能是如何在多细胞生物中产生的，我们的目标是系统地检查上皮细胞片的构成和功能。除了先前鉴定的细胞-细胞粘附分子成分外，我们还使用我们开发的分离细胞-细胞粘附复合物的方法鉴定了新的粘附相关分子。为了研究细胞-片的功能，我们着重研究了以下几点。1)通过紧密连接调控生物功能，控制微环境。2)信号转导源于细胞-细胞粘附装置，包括紧密连接和粘附连接。3)顶器与细胞骨架的协同功能整合。4)根尖膜的功能整合和细胞-细胞粘附。

To understand how the biological functions of epithelial cell sheets are created in multicellular organisms, we aim to systematically examine the constitution and function of epithelial cell sheets. In addition to the previously identified components of cell-cell adhesion molecules, we have identified novel adhesion-related molecules using a method we developed for isolating cell-cell adhesion complexes. To study cell-sheet function, we have focused on the following points. 1) The regulation of biological functions by tight junctions, which control the microenvironment. 2) Signal transduction originating from the cell-cell adhesion apparatus, including the tight and adherens junctions. 3) The cooperative functional integration of the apical apparatus and the cytoskeleton. 4) The functional integration of apical membranes and cell-cell adhesion.