How is hematopoiesis regulated by mechanics? Once blood circulation is established during the earliest stages of hematopoiesis, the pulsatile nature of blood flow within the aorta generates a range of biomechanical forces, such as fluid shear stress, hydrodynamic pressure, and circumferential stress. A number [...]
What is the cellular origin of hematopoietic stem cells? Based on findings from a large number of anatomical, biochemical, and genetic studies carried out over the years, three major theories have been put forth to describe the cellular origin of hematopoietic stem cells. Although [...]
How do post-translational modifications of cell-cell adhesions impact their stability? Post-translational modification of adhesion complex components is one of the most complicated aspects in the regulation of cell-cell adhesions. It involves an array of protein enzymes and despite a growing body of knowledge on [...]
What are anchoring junctions? Cells adhere to the ECM, or to other cells, via complexes that can collectively be called anchoring junctions (reviewed in [1][2]). These multiprotein complexes are found in all cell types where they they stabilize the cells position, provide stability and [...]
What are selectins? Members of the selectin family, E-selectin (endothelial), L-selectin (leukocyte) and P-selectin (platelet), all of which bind to fucosylated carbohydrates [1]. For example P-selectin on leukocytes binds PSGL-1 (P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1) on endothelial cells. Whether an adhesion is formed between two cells, [...]
What are immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecules? Members of the Immunoglobulin superfamily include vascular and neural cell adhesions molecules (VCAM and NCAM), intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and the Nectins and nectin-like (Necl) proteins. Nectins in particular are involved in the formation of cadherin-based cell-cell [...]
What are tight junctions? Tight junctions, also known as Zonula Occludens, are cell-cell adhesion complexes that play a role in the organization of epithelial tissue. By forming a meshwork of membrane contacts around the cell, tight junctions demarcate the apical region from the basolateral [...]
How are tight junctions assembled? The epithelial tissue is held intact by the formation of tight junctions between cells. The basic functional units that form adhesive contacts across cells are the tight junction strands, which are composed of transmembrane proteins such as claudin, occludin [...]
What are adherens junctions? Adherens junctions (AJs) are cell-cell adhesion complexes that are continuously assembled and disassembled, allowing cells within a tissue to respond to forces, biochemical signals and structural changes in their microenvironment. The events leading up to adherens junction formation are still [...]
How are adherens junctions assembled? Introduction to the Assembly of Adherens Junctions In situations where migrating cells first encounter each other to form junctions, changes in cellular morphology have been observed and correlated with the spatiotemporal distribution of cadherins and catenins (alpha-catenin, beta-catenin, delta-catenin). [...]
What is cadherin? The cadherin glycoproteins includes over 100 members divided into 6 subfamilies; type I classical cadherins , type II atypical cadherins, desmosomal cadherins, flamingo cadherins, proto-cadherins and several ungrouped members. Cadherins can be identified through common motifs in their extracellular domains termed [...]
What is integrin? Introduction to integrin and its structure Integrins are proteins that function mechanically, by attaching the cell cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM), and biochemically, by sensing whether adhesion has occurred. The integrin family of proteins consists of alpha and beta subtypes, [...]
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One of four Research Centres of Excellence at NUS, MBI is working to identify, measure and describe how the forces for motility and morphogenesis are expressed at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.