%0 Journal Article
%A Fenz, Susanne F.
%A Bihr, Timo
%A Schmidt, Daniel
%A Merkel, Rudolf
%A Seifert, Udo
%A Sengupta, Kheya
%A Smith, Ana-Sunčana
%T Membrane fluctuations mediate lateral interaction between cadherin bonds
%J Nature physics
%V 13
%@ 1745-2481
%C Basingstoke
%I Nature Publishing Group
%M FZJ-2017-04189
%P 906–913
%D 2017
%X The integrity of living tissues is maintained by adhesion domains of trans-bonds formed between cadherin proteins residing on opposing membranes of neighbouring cells. These domains are stabilized by lateral cis-interactions between the cadherins on the same cell. However, the origin of cis-interactions remains perplexing since they are detected only in the context of trans-bonds. By combining experimental, analytical and computational approaches, we identify bending fluctuations of membranes as a source of long-range cis-interactions, and a regulator of trans-interactions. Specifically, nanometric membrane bending and fluctuations introduce cooperative effects that modulate the affinity and binding/unbinding rates for trans-dimerization, dramatically affecting the nucleation and growth of adhesion domains. Importantly, this regulation relies on physical principles and not on details of protein–protein interactions. These omnipresent fluctuations can thus act as a generic control mechanism in all types of cell adhesion, suggesting a hitherto unknown physiological role for recently identified active fluctuations of cellular membranes.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000409235100026
%R 10.1038/nphys4138
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/834206