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-Structure paper
Title | The molecular architecture of cadherins in native epidermal desmosomes. |
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Journal, issue, pages | Nature, Vol. 450, Issue 7171, Page 832-837, Year 2007 |
Publish date | Dec 6, 2007 |
Authors | Ashraf Al-Amoudi / Daniel Castaño Díez / Matthew J Betts / Achilleas S Frangakis / |
PubMed Abstract | Desmosomes are cadherin-based adhesive intercellular junctions, which are present in tissues such as heart and skin. Despite considerable efforts, the molecular interfaces that mediate adhesion ...Desmosomes are cadherin-based adhesive intercellular junctions, which are present in tissues such as heart and skin. Despite considerable efforts, the molecular interfaces that mediate adhesion remain obscure. Here we apply cryo-electron tomography of vitreous sections from human epidermis to visualize the three-dimensional molecular architecture of desmosomal cadherins at close-to-native conditions. The three-dimensional reconstructions show a regular array of densities at approximately 70 A intervals along the midline, with a curved shape resembling the X-ray structure of C-cadherin, a representative 'classical' cadherin. Model-independent three-dimensional image processing of extracted sub-tomograms reveals the cadherin organization. After fitting the C-cadherin atomic structure into the averaged sub-tomograms, we see a periodic arrangement of a trans W-like and a cis V-like interaction corresponding to molecules from opposing membranes and the same cell membrane, respectively. The resulting model of cadherin organization explains existing two-dimensional data and yields insights into a possible mechanism of cadherin-based cell adhesion. |
External links | Nature / PubMed:18064004 |
Methods | EM (subtomogram averaging) |
Resolution | 34.0 Å |
Structure data | EMDB-1374: EMDB-1449: |
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