High impact information on LOC408045

• Our studies show that Wnt-11 regulates cellular interactions of QCE-6 cells, as demonstrated by alterations in contact-inhibited growth, tight and gap junction formation and plakoglobin expression [1].
• Macroarray analysis demonstrated transcriptional downregulation of plakoglobin in R type LoVo cells and this was confirmed at the level of the mRNA by quantitative RT-PCR [2].
• These cells also lack plakoglobin expression, do not assemble desmosomes and exhibit the typical morphology and growth properties of transformed cells [3].
• Although the cells have tried to compensate for the loss of N-cadherin by up-regulation of another cadherin(s) and plakoglobin, this is unable to compensate for N-cadherin function [4].
• Plakoglobin is not expressed in this region during stages 6-8, but is detected in the myocardium later at stage 13 [5].

Anatomical context of LOC408045

• Investigating brain angiogenesis in the chicken, we demonstrated that beta-catenin, but not plakoglobin, initially codistributed with N-cadherin at the ablumenal endothelial membrane at contact sites to perivascular cells, from where both antigens disappeared during blood-brain barrier maturation [6].
• Plakoglobin seems not to interact with N-cadherin but is exclusively localized at interendothelial junctions providing evidence for its role in the formation of stable adherens junctions, which may play a role for the initiation, and/or stabilization of tight junctions [6].
• Western-blot analysis revealed a stronger developmental decrease of beta-catenin than plakoglobin, whereas N-cadherin was completely lost. beta-Catenin but not N-cadherin was reinduced in brain endothelial cells during dedifferentiation in vitro and localized to the interendothelial junctions [6].

References