论文部分内容阅读
Cadherins,regulated by calcium ions,constitute one of the most important families of molecules involved in cell-cell adhesion.The stiffness and strength of extracellular region of cadherin (EC) are proposed to be two important mechanical properties for cadherin as a mechanotransductor and for the formation of cell-cell adhesion.In this study,we quantitatively characterized the stiffness and strength of EC structure when it binds with different types of ions using molecular dynamics simulations.Our results showed that EC structure exhibits a rod-like shape with high stiffness and strength when it binds with the bivalent ions calcium or magnesium.However,it switches to a soft and collapsed conformation when it binds with the monovalent ions sodium or potassium.This study shed light on the important role of the bivalent ions calcium in the physiological function of EC.