A tension-induced mechanotransduction pathway promotes epithelial morphogenesis

Huimin Zhang, Frédéric Landmann, Hala Zahreddine, David Rodriguez, Marc Koch and Michel Labouesse ()
Additional contact information
Huimin Zhang: Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France
Frédéric Landmann: Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France
Hala Zahreddine: Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France
David Rodriguez: Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France
Marc Koch: Imaging Centre, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France
Michel Labouesse: Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, 67400 Illkirch, France

Nature, 2011, vol. 471, issue 7336, 99-103

Abstract: Pulled into shape The development and function of many organs depend not only on biochemical signals, but also on the ability of cells and tissues to respond biochemically to mechanical forces — mechanotransduction. Here, Michel Labouesse and colleagues describe a mechanotransduction pathway that links the body wall with the epidermis in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. The pathway involves the p21-activated kinase PAK-1, an adaptor GIT-1 and its partner PIX-1. Tension exerted by muscles or external pressure keeps GIT-1 on station at hemidesmosomes — the small rivet-like bodies that attach epidermal cells to the underlying musculature — and stimulates PAK-1 through PIX-1 and Rac GTPase. The C. elegans hemidesmosome is therefore more than a passive attachment structure — it is a sensor that responds to tension by triggering signalling processes.

Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09765 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:471:y:2011:i:7336:d:10.1038_nature09765

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/nature09765

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().