Effects of Physical Forces on Cell-ECM Interactions

The contacts between two adjoining cell membranes are stabilized by specific cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), which include the Ca+2-dependent cadherins. These molecules appear to lead the way for cell-cell communications and are involved in mechanochemical transduction via cell-cell interactions. In some cell types, cadherins are concentrated within adherens junctions that are stretch-sensitive and their extracellular domains interact with cadherins on adjacent cells whereas their cytoplasmic domains provide attachment to the actin cytoskeleton via catenins and other cytoskeletal proteins. The Rho family is required for the establishment and maintenance of cadherin-based adherens junctions. The type of cadherin expressed in a cell can affect the specificity and the physiological properties of cell-cell interactions. 

---