Regulation of dynamic cell-cell adhesions by coordinated action of lipid kinases and phosphatases

这个研究项目研究细胞相互连接和识别的分子机制。这种细胞间的粘附是由位于细胞表面的钙粘蛋白家族分子介导的。钙粘蛋白允许细胞相互识别，并在识别后相互粘附。通过这种方法，单个细胞群可以连接在一起，形成有凝聚力的群体，即身体的组织和器官。钙粘蛋白粘附的重要性可通过以下事实得到证明：钙粘蛋白粘附的破坏可导致许多重要疾病，特别是炎症和癌症。因此，了解钙粘蛋白是如何将细胞结合在一起的，对于我们了解常见疾病的分子基础是必要的。在这个项目中，我们研究钙粘蛋白信号如何调节细胞行为。我们基于我们最近的发现，e -钙粘蛋白可以激活细胞膜中的脂质PIP3，这是许多细胞活动的关键调节剂。我们的目标是了解这个信号是如何在响应e -钙粘蛋白粘附时产生的，以及它是如何引起对钙粘蛋白粘附的正常细胞反应的。

This research project studies the molecular mechanisms that allow cells to attach to, and recognize, one another. Such cell-to-cell adhesion is mediated by the cadherin family of molecules, which reside on the surfaces of cells. Cadherins allow cells to recognize one another and, upon recognition, to adhere to each other. By this means, populations of individual cells can be linked together into cohesive populations - i.e. the tissues and organs of the body. The importance of cadherin adhesion is exemplified by the fact that disruption of cadherin adhesion contributes to many important diseases, especially inflammation and cancer. Thus understanding how cadherins hold cells together is necessary for us to understand the molecular basis of common diseases. In this project we study how cadherins signal to regulate cellular behaviour. We build on our recent discovery that E-cadherin can activate a lipid in the cell membrane, PIP3, that is known to be a key regulator of many cellular activities. We aim to understand how this signal is generated in response to E-cadherin adhesion and how it elicits normal cellular responses to cadherin adhesion.