A cell without Par3 (bottom) sports a petite cilium (arrow).
Researchers know that Par3 teams up with three other proteins, but they don't know all of its effects. Some studies suggest that Par3 helps induce adhesive tight junctions between epithelial cells. Other work indicates it sets up cell polarity in neurons by defining the axon. Sfakianos et al. have identified yet another function for Par3.
The team used RNAi to quash the protein. Although cells lacking Par3 still established tight junctions, they took extra time to form. The cells seemed to polarize normally, suggesting that...
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
The Rockefeller University Press
2007
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