PROJECT B11
Remodeling of Tricellular Junctions Controls Paracellular Transport
Intercellular junctions in epithelia are remodeled to enable cell rearrangements, paracellular transport, or passage of migrating cells, but how tissue integrity is preserved while epithelial cells undergo dynamic behaviors is not clear. During oogenesis in oviparous animals, tricellular junctions (TCJs) in the follicular epithelium open transiently to allow passage of yolk proteins for uptake by the oocyte. This process involves remodeling of adhesion complexes and of actomyosin at cell vertices and is regulated by TGF-β signaling. We aim to identify the TGF-β effectors that control actomyosin and E-Cadherin dynamics. To understand the molecular basis of adhesion and barrier formation at the interface of three cells, we investigate the structure of the TCJ protein Anakonda using cryo-electron microscopy in collaboration with C. Gatsogiannis (A15).
