Research Information

Epithelial cells assemble specialized actomyosin structures at E-Cadherin-based cell-cell junctions, and the force exerted drives cell shape change during morphogenesis.  The mechanisms used to build this supramolecular actomyosin structure remain unclear. We are using ZO-knockdown MDCK cells, which assemble a robust, polarized and highly organized actomyosin cytoskeleton at the zonula adherens, and combined genetic and pharmacological approaches with super-resolution microscopy to define molecular machines required.