Disruption of epithelial barriers is a key pathogenic event of mucosal inflammation: It ignites
the exaggerated immune response and accelerates tissue damage. Loss of barrier function …

Cell-cell junctions, in particular adherens junctions, are major determinants of tissue
mechanics during morphogenesis and homeostasis. In attempts to link junctional mechanics …

During development and in adult physiology, living tissues are continuously subjected to
mechanical stresses originating either from cellular processes intrinsic to the tissue or from …

Cadherins harness the actin cytoskeleton to build cohesive sheets of cells using
paradoxically weak bonds, but the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In one …

EpCAM and its close relative Trop2 are well-known cell surface markers of carcinoma, but
their potential role in cancer metastasis remains unclear. They are known, however, to …

The epidermis is a stratified epithelium in which structural and functional features are
polarized across multiple cell layers. This type of polarity is essential for establishing the …

A universal principle of all living cells is the ability to sense and respond to mechanical
stimuli which is essential for many biological processes. Recent efforts have identified …

Intercellular adhesion is the key to multicellularity, and its malfunction plays an important
role in various developmental and disease-related processes. Although it has been …

Adherens junctions physically link two cells at their contact interface via extracellular binding
between cadherin molecules and intracellular interactions between cadherins and the actin …

A fundamental property of higher eukaryotes that underpins their evolutionary success is
stable cell-cell cohesion. Yet, how intrinsic cell rheology and stiffness contributes to junction …