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Cell adhesion

Getting to the core

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 12, pages 4–5 (2011)Cite this article

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The authors used interferometric photoactivated localization microscopy (iPALM) — which combines the technique of PALM with single-photon, simultaneous multiphase interferometry — to image molecules labelled with a photoactivatable fluorescent protein (PAFP) in focal adhesions in cells seeded onto fibronectin-coated coverglasses. They co-expressed PAFP αv integrin with unlabelled β3 integrin to generate a functional fibronectin receptor, the αv cytoplasmic tail of which localized close to the inner plasma membrane along the vertical plane, as expected. Actin filaments were more broadly distributed and located considerably higher along the vertical plane than integrins, reinforcing the notion that these two components do not directly interact.

...the ∼40 nm core between integrins and actin comprises distinct layers of proteins

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Kanchanawong, P. et al. Nanoscale architecture of integrin-based cell adhesions. Nature 468, 580–584 (2010)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Parsons, J. T., Horwitz, A. R. & Schwartz, M. A. Cell adhesion: integrating cytoskeletal dynamics and cellular tension. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 11, 633–643 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gateway Assistant Editor, Cell Migration Gateway,

    Katrin Legg

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  1. Katrin Legg
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Legg, K. Getting to the core. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12, 4–5 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3030

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