Abstract 1341: Talin plays an important role in cell-cell interactions

Abstract Appropriate cell adhesion is necessary for numerous physiological processes and can be deranged in many diseases, including cancer. It has long been recognized that the cadherins mediated cell-cell adhesion receptor is an important determinant of tumor progression, serving as a suppressor of invasion and metastasis. Recently a role for the C-terminal region of talin (the VAD fragment) in cadherin mediated cell-cell attachment has been suggested, but its molecular mechanism remained unclear. Here, we identified a small region of the VAD fragment required for its localization to cadherin-mediated cell-cell junctions and also found that its localization to cell-cell junctions is independent of its actin binding properties. To identify the binding partner of the VAD fragment at cell-cell junctions we utilized immune-pulldown and found that it interacts with catenins, an important component of cadherin-mediated cell-cell junction. Based on our data, we proposed that the VAD-fragment of talin stabilized and/or stimulated the cell-cell junction by interacting with catenins. Citation Format: Devang M. Patel, Akhilesh Kumar, William Morgan, Michael D. Birnbaum, Chaunhua Jiang, Fangliang Zhang. Talin plays an important role in cell-cell interactions [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1341. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1341