'Glue' holding together skin cells, other epithelial tissue more active than realized
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 15:30
in Biology & Nature
Researchers report the first evidence in living organisms that adherens junctions, the 'glue' between cells, actively respond to mechanical cues by remodeling their position and intensity, which in turn restructures the cells. These junctions are responsible for maintaining the shape and integrity of the sheets of epithelial cells that line such body cavities as the digestive tract, as well as the surfaces of structures such as the heart.