The role of cell adhesion plasticity in collective cell behavior

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06640
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44010:Cell biology-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuzawa Kenji 九州大学, 理学研究院, 講師 (30778668)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 上皮細胞接着

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Epithelial tissues expand and contract during development and in homeostasis, enabling them to take on complex topologies to seal the interior of the organism from the external environment. Tissue integrity is maintained by dynamically modulating the inherent contractility of each epithelial cell that comprises the tissue, such as during collective cell migration in wound healing. In this research project, I have addressed the mechanisms contributing to epithelial cell sheet homeostasis by focusing on how individual cells regulate their contractility through plasticity of the epithelial cell adhesion complexes.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

上皮細胞間の張力の均衡は、上皮細胞シートの恒常性に必須である。このような細胞同士の間に生じる機械的な張力を介した情報伝達は、上皮細胞の増殖や運動を制御する重要な役割を担うことが近年明らかになっており、今回の成果は、上皮細胞の異常によって生じる癌の病態解明にもつながることが期待される。また、上皮細胞シートの恒常性の破綻は、アトピー性皮膚炎や炎症性腸疾患などの慢性炎症を引き起こすことが明らかになっており、今回の発見は慢性炎症疾患に対する新たな予防法や治療法を開発する上で基礎となる知見である。