CRTAM: A molecule involved in epithelial cell adhesion |
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| Authors: | Erika Garay Genaro Patiño‐López Socorro Islas Lourdes Alarcón Elsy Canche‐Pool Ricardo Valle‐Rios Oscar Medina‐Contreras Giovana Granados Bibiana Chávez‐Munguía Eusebio Juaristi Vianney Ortiz‐Navarrete Lorenza González‐Mariscal |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Mexico City, Mexico;2. Department of Biomedicine, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Mexico City, Mexico;3. Department of Chemistry, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Mexico City, Mexico;4. Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Mexico City, Mexico |
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| Abstract: | Class I‐restricted T cell associated molecule (CRTAM) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that complies with the structural characteristics of the JAM family of proteins and is phylogenetically more closely related to nectin‐like proteins. Here we demonstrate for the first time, that CRTAM is expressed in epithelial cells along the lateral membrane and is important for early cell–cell contacts and cell–substrate interactions. CRTAM is sensitive to intermediate filament disruption and treatment of monolayers with soluble CRTAM enhances cell–cell dissociation and lowers transepithelial electrical resistance. Incubation of newly plated cells with anti‐CRTAM antibody decreases the formation of cell aggregates and promotes cell detachment. Co‐cultures of epithelial cells and fibroblasts that lack CRTAM expression and in vitro binding assays, demonstrate the participation of CRTAM in homotypic and heterotypic trans‐interactions. Hence we conclude that CRTAM is a molecule involved in epithelial cell adhesion. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 111–122, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. |
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| Keywords: | CRTAM JAM cell adhesion tight junction epithelia |
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