Pensouse durante moito anos que as unións adherentes compartían a característica de unir as células veciñas conectando os seus filamentos de [[actina]].
Adherens junctions were, for many years, thought to share the characteristic of [[anchor cell]]s through their cytoplasmic [[actin]] filaments.
TheO acceptedmodelo modelaceptado hasera beenque thatas adherensunións junctionsadherentes serveservían ascomo aunha [[bridge]]ponte connectingque theconectaba actinos cytoskeletoncitoesqueletos ofde neighboringactina cellsdas throughcélulas directveciñas interaction.por medio However,dunha scientistsinteracción havedirecta. notPorén, beenos ableinvestigadores tonon isolatepuideron theillar quaternaryo complexcomplexo ofcuaternario cadherincadherina-βcateninβcatenina-αcateninαcatenina-actinactina [[in vitro]]. Datos Recent datarecentes (2005) demonstratedemostraron thatque membranea associatedactina actinasociada isá severalmembrana foldé lessvarias stableveces comparedmenos toestable componentscomparados ofcos thecompoñentes adherensdo junctionalcomplexo complexda unión adherente. <ref>{{cite journal | author = Yamada S, Pokutta S, Drees F, Weis W, Nelson W | title = Deconstructing the cadherin-catenin-actin complex. | journal = Cell | volume = 123 | issue = 5 | pages = 889–901 | year = 2005 | pmid = 16325582 | doi = 10.1016/j.cell.2005.09.020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | author = Drees F, Pokutta S, Yamada S, Nelson W, Weis W | title = Alpha-catenin is a molecular switch that binds E-cadherin-beta-catenin and regulates actin-filament assembly. | journal = Cell | volume = 123 | issue = 5 | pages = 903–15 | year = 2005 | pmid = 16325583 | doi = 10.1016/j.cell.2005.09.021}}</ref>
Ademais, os autores encontraron que a α-catenina monomérica únese preferentemente ao complexo de unión da cadherina por medio da β-catenina. A α-catenina dimérica únese preferentemente á actina e suprime a ramificación da actina mediada polo [[complexo Arp2/3]], actuando así como un interruptor molecular que regula a polimerización da actina.
Additionally, the authors found that monomeric α-catenin preferentially binds to the cadherin junction complex through β-catenin. Dimeric α-catenin preferentially binds to actin and suppresses [[Arp2/3 complex]]-mediated actin branching, thus acting as a molecular switch to regulate actin polymerization.
As unións adherentes poden servir como módulos regulatorios para manter o anel contráctil de actina co cal están asociados nos estudos microscópicos.
Adherens junctions may serve as a regulatory module to maintain the actin [[contractile ring]] with which it is associated in microscopic studies.
