Human Adherens Junction Antibody Sampler Kit, BioAssay?
Description
Adherens junctions are dynamic structures that form cell-cell contacts and are important in development, differentiation, tissue integrity, morphology and cell polarity. They are composed of the transmembrane proteins, cadherins, which bind cadherins on adjacent cells in a calcium-dependent manner. On the cytoplasmic side of adherens junctions, the classic model states that cadherins are linked to the cytoskeleton through beta- and alpha-catenin. Research studies have demonstrated that loss of E-cadherin and alpha-E-catenin occurs during the progression of several human cancers, indicating that the breakdown of adherens junctions is important in cancer progression. Research studies also suggest that, rather than acting as a static link between cadherins and actin, alpha-catenin regulates actin dynamics directly, possibly by competing with the actin nucleating arp2/3 complex. alpha-catenin also plays a role in regulating beta-catenin- dependent transcriptional activity, affecting differ