Control of epithelial cell shape and polarity

The polarised character of a cell is often obvious from its shape and is la rgely dependent on the actin cytoskeleton and the membrane-associated cell cortex - a dense network comprising spectrin and other related proteins. Sp atially and functionally distinct protein scaffolds, assembled from transme mbrane and cytoplasmic proteins, provide the cues for polarisation. Recent data have provided new insights into the molecular nature of these cues and the mechanisms by which they may be translated into a polarised phenotype.