Abstract
Simple SummaryDuring embryonic development, cells proliferate and move to form structures essential to each organ. As these dynamic processes occur cells must form adhesions with their neighbors. These adhesions serve as communication centers to amplify the behavior of individual cells into collective cellular events. Here, we review cell-to-cell adhesions and focus on their role in the development of the face and palate.Morphogenesis requires a tight coordination between mechanical forces and biochemical signals to inform individual cellular behavior. For these developmental processes to happen correctly the organism requires precise spatial and temporal coordination of the adhesion, migration, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis of cells originating from the three key embryonic layers, namely the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. The cytoskeleton and its remodeling are essential to organize and amplify many of the signaling pathways required for proper morphogenesis. In particular, the interaction of the cell junctions with the cytoskeleton functions to amplify the behavior of individual cells into collective events that are critical for development. In this review we summarize the key morphogenic events that occur during the formation of the face and the palate, as well as the protein complexes required for cell-to-cell adhesions. We then integrate the current knowledge into a comprehensive review of how mutations in cell-to-cell adhesion genes lead to abnormal craniofacial development, with a particular focus on cleft lip with or without cleft palate.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
In this review we focus on craniofacial morphogenesis, with a particular emphasis thisformation review weoffocus onand craniofacial morphogenesis, with particular interacting emphasis with onInthe the lip palate, and examine how theastructures on the formation of the lip and palate, and examine how the structures interacting with the cytoskeleton—namely cell–cell junctions—contribute to the morphogenesis of these the cytoskeleton—namely cell–cell junctions—contribute to the morphogenesis of these tissues in humans and mice
Adherens Junctions (AJs) and Tight Junctions (TJs): a transmembrane region formed by desmosomal cadherins that interact in the intercellular space with neighboring cells, and a series of cytoplasmic adaptor proteins that link the cadherins to the cytoskeleton
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The morphogenesis of the face is one of the most fascinating It transforms the cranial part of the neural tube by way of distinct embryological processes that form the eyes, nose, chin, and mouth, each defining the identity of the organism. Is this morphogenic event extremely dynamic, but it has the unique characteristic that most of the events are visible from the outside, allowing for a direct appreciation of the cellular movements and interactions.
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