Characterization of cell adhesion dynamics during neural crest migration

• Antragstellerinnen / Antragsteller: Professorin Dr. Annette Borchers, seit 2/2016; Professor Dr. Fred Wolf, seit 7/2016
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Entwicklungsbiologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2011 bis 2019
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 200509276

Cranial neural crest cells (CNC) are a highly motile and multipotent stem cell population. During development CNC migrate first as a cohesive cell sheet, which then progressively dissociates into small cell clusters and individual cells. The transition from collective to individual cell migration behaviour requires the dynamic modulation of cell-cell adhesion processes mediated by cadherin receptors. Xenopus CNC co-express cadherin-11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and PCNS, which together regulate cell-cell adhesion, cell protrusion formation, cell-substrate adhesion and directional migration through contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL). However, the precise individual and collaborative contribution of cadherins to the dynamic regulation of cell contacts remains to be elucidated. By employing knockdown analysis of single cadherins, as well as by expressing specific cadherin mutants and different cadherin chimeras, we will modulate the function of individual cadherins and analyse in detail the effect on CNC migration in vivo and in vitro. These experiments will be complemented by biophysical techniques to quantify changes in cell-cell adhesion strength occurring during migration. Furthermore, we will perform cell-stiffness measurements to characterize potential roles of cadherins in regulating cell cortex tension and cell spreading behaviour. Through this interdisciplinary project we expect to gain new insights into the dynamic regulation of cell contacts and migration states at different time points and at different positions within the migrating CNC sheet.

• DFG-Verfahren: Forschungsgruppen
• Teilprojekt zu: FOR 1756: Functional dynamics of cell contacts in cellular assemblies and migratory cells
• Ehemalige Antragsteller: Dr. Clemens Franz, bis 7/2016; Dr. Jubin Kashef, bis 1/2016