The study of polarisation in single cells using model cell membranes

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Title: The study of polarisation in single cells using model cell membranes
Author(s): Charnley, Mirren; Kroschewski, Ruth; Textor, Marcus
Abstract: The apicobasal polarisation of epithelial cells within an epithelium is critical for its function as a selective barrier. Microenvironmental parameters, including cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, contribute to the initiation and orientation of this polarity. However, it is often non-trivial to decipher the differential effects of these parameters in a controlled manner using traditional in vitro platforms. A reductionist platform, consisting of E-cadherin coupled onto laterally mobile supported lipid bilayers, was utilised to mimic E-cadherin presentation in the cell membrane. These functionalised bilayers were generated either on flat 2D surfaces or the interior surfaces of round microwells. This platform enabled the study of E-cadherin adhesion and the initiation of polarisation in a controlled environment, where the dimensionality of the microenvironment, type of protein coating and cell shape could be independently studied. A high proportion of single epithelial cells interacted with and clustered cellular E-cadherin in the presence of E-cadherin functionalised bilayers, which was reduced in the presence of integrin-mediated adhesion. The differential response in E-cadherin clustering correlated with the polarisation of E-cadherin and Na,K-ATPase, a reporter for the induction of basolateral polarity. Neither the three-dimensional presentation of E-cadherin nor the cell shape affected E-cadherin clustering or polarisation in single cells. Thus, the mobile presentation of E-cadherin was sufficient to mimic a cell-cell contact and induce basolateral polarisation in single cells.
Publication type: Journal article
Source: Integrative Biology, Vol. 4, no. 9 (Sep 2012), pp. 1059-1071
Publication year: 2012
Keyword(s): E-cadherin; Epithelium; Polarisation
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISSN: 1757-9694
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C2IB20111A
Peer reviewed