Cell polarity refers to spatial differences in shape, structure, and function within a cell. Almost all cell types exhibit some form of polarity, which enables them to carry out specialized functions. Classical examples of polarized cells are described below, including epithelial cells with apical-basal polarity, neurons in which signals propagate in one direction from dendrites to axons, and migrating cells. Furthermore, cell polarity is important during many types of asymmetric cell division to set up functional asymmetries between daughter cells.
Many of the key molecular players implicated in cell polarity are well conserved. For example, in metazoan cells, the PAR-3/PAR-6/aPKC complex plays a fundamental role in cell polarity. While the biochemical details may vary, some of the core principles such as negative and/or positive feedback between different molecules are common and essential to many known polarity systems.
Epithelial polarity
Epithelial cells adhere to one another through tight junctions, desmosomes and adherens junctions, forming sheets of cells that line the surface of the animal body and internal cavities (e.g., digestive tract and circulatory system). These cells have an apical-basal polarity defined by the apical membrane facing the outside surface of the body, or the lumen of internal cavities, and the basolateral membrane oriented away from the lumen. The basolateral membrane refers to both the lateral membrane where cell-cell junctions connect neighboring cells and to the basal membrane where cells are attached to the basement membrane, a thin sheet of extracellular matrix proteins that separates the epithelial sheet from underlying cells and connective tissue. Epithelial cells also exhibit planar cell polarity, in which specialized structures are orientated within the plane of the epithelial sheet. Some examples of planar cell polarity include the scales of fish being oriented in the same direction and similarly the feathers of birds, the fur of mammals, and the cuticular projections (sensory hairs, etc.
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Students will learn essentials of cell and developmental biology with an engineering mind set, with an emphasis on animal model systems and quantitative approaches.
This course is aimed to familiarize students with the 3D organization of a eukaryotic cell, its compartmentalization, how cellular compartments communicate together and how a cell communicates with it
La membrane plasmique, également appelée membrane cellulaire, membrane cytoplasmique, voire plasmalemme, est une membrane biologique séparant l'intérieur d'une cellule, appelé cytoplasme, de son environnement extérieur, c'est-à-dire du milieu extracellulaire. Cette membrane joue un rôle biologique fondamental en isolant la cellule de son environnement.
Filopodia (: filopodium) are slender cytoplasmic projections that extend beyond the leading edge of lamellipodia in migrating cells. Within the lamellipodium, actin ribs are known as microspikes, and when they extend beyond the lamellipodia, they're known as filopodia. They contain microfilaments (also called actin filaments) cross-linked into bundles by actin-bundling proteins, such as fascin and fimbrin. Filopodia form focal adhesions with the substratum, linking them to the cell surface.
Le lamellipode est une large extension membranaire faite de polymères d’actine F que la cellule utilise pour explorer son environnement à la recherche de matrice extracellulaire. Le lamellipode est une structure saillante de migration riche en actine. Sa formation est dépendante d’une protéine G monomérique nommée Rac1. Les lamellipodes permettent le mouvement de la cellule par quatre étapes : protrusion, adhésion, translocation et retraction. vignette|Cellules de crêtes neurales en culture in vitro en train de migrer grâce à leurs lamellipodes.
The capacity to break symmetry and organize activity to move directionally is a fundamental property of eukaryotic cells. To explain the organization of cell-edge activity, models commonly rely on front-to-back gradients of functional components or regulat ...
The presence of centrioles is critical for fundamental cell and developmental processes, including polarity, migration and division. Although centrioles are present in most proliferating cells, they are thought to vanish after cell cycle exit in some diffe ...
Permanent rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cell lines represent potential in vitro alternatives to experiments with fish. We here developed a method to assess the bioaccumulation potential of anionic organic compounds in fish, using the rainbow trout li ...