Abstract
Mechanical forces between cells have a principal role in the organization of animal tissues. Adherens junctions are an important component of these tissues, connecting cells through their actin cytoskeleton and allowing the assembly of tensile structures1,2,3,4. At least one adherens junction protein, β-catenin, also acts as a signalling molecule, directly regulating gene expression5,6,7. To date, adherens junctions have only been detected in metazoa, and therefore we looked for them outside the animal kingdom to examine their evolutionary origins. The non-metazoan Dictyostelium discoideum forms a multicellular, differentiated structure8. Here we describe the discovery of actin-associated intercellular junctions in Dictyostelium. We have isolated a gene encoding a β-catenin homologue, aardvark, which is a component of the junctional complex, and, independently, is required for cell signalling. Our discovery of adherens junctions outside the animal kingdom shows that the dual role of β-catenin in cell–cell adhesion and cell signalling evolved before the origins of metazoa.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Staehelin, who suggested that we examine the stalk pinch region for an actin ring. We would also like to thank R. Williams and E. Dalton for their help with making DNA constructs; and D. Knight, V. Braga, R. Kay and J. Hyams for their advice and comments. J.C.C. was supported by a MRC/GlaxoWellcome Studentship. J.P.R. is a Wellcome Prize Student and A.J.H. is a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow. This work was partly funded by a NATO collaborative research grant, the research enhancement fund of the College of Arts and Sciences, Texas Tech University, and departmental and university funds to the Department of Biological Sciences Electron Microscopy Laboratory at Texas Tech University.
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Grimson, M., Coates, J., Reynolds, J. et al. Adherens junctions and β-catenin-mediated cell signalling in a non-metazoan organism. Nature 408, 727–731 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35047099
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35047099
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