Changes in adherens junctions in DP-null keratinocytes.

(A-B) WT and DP-null keratinocytes stained for E-cadherin (green) and α-catenin (red) after 24 h in Ca²⁺. (C-F) WT (C,D) and DP-null (E,F) keratinocytes stained with the tension-sensitive anti-α-catenin antibody, α18 (red). The α18 epitope is exposed in WT keratinocytes after microtubules are reorganized to the cell cortex with taxol treatment, 1 hour at 10 µM. (D). DP-null keratinocytes have the α18 epitope exposed at steady state (E). The junctional intensity is not significantly changed upon treatment with taxol (F). (G) Quantitation of junctional/cytoplasmic intensity of α18 in indicated samples. n>100 cells from at least two independent experiments. p values as compared to WT DMSO are <0.0001 for both WT with taxol and DP KO DMSO. There was no significant difference between DP KO DMSO verses taxol. (H) α18 (red) staining of DP null keratinocytes treated with the myosin II inhibitor blebbistatin (25 µM for 1 hour). (I,J) E-cadherin (red) and α-catenin (green) localization in DP cells treated either with DMSO (I) or 25 µM blebbistatin (J) for 1 hour. Scale bar, 10 µm.