POLARITY OF EPITHELIAL-CELLS - ROLE OF TH E ACTIN-FILAMENTS

Authors
Citation
D. Louvard, POLARITY OF EPITHELIAL-CELLS - ROLE OF TH E ACTIN-FILAMENTS, Nephrologie, 17(7), 1996, pp. 351-357
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Urology & Nephrology
Journal title
ISSN journal
02504960
Volume
17
Issue
7
Year of publication
1996
Pages
351 - 357
Database
ISI
SICI code
0250-4960(1996)17:7<351:POE-RO>2.0.ZU;2-D
Abstract
Polarized epithelial cells display a cell surface organization well ad apted to their specialized functions in transports and exchanges with the external ''milieu''. The numerous microvilli that cover the apical plasma membrane are supported by bundles of actin microfilaments and associated actin binding proteins. Three independant experimental appr oaches have been used to unravel the function(s) of villin: a) overexp ression of the villin gene; b) inhibition of villin production iwth a villin antisens RNA; c) disruption of the villin gene by homologeous r ecombination, The role of ezrine, a protein able to interact both with components of the plasma membrane and with actin microfilaments, in c ellular morphogenesis and the signal transduction cascade elicitatd by the scatter factor (HGF) and its receptor, has also been investigated with molecular cell biology approaches.