About this Research Topic
Adhesion between cells is an integral factor for multicellular life, ensuring the integrity of the cells as a tissue. Multiple autoimmune diseases are a result of a disruption of cellular adhesion, reaching from cutaneous, mucosal and intestinal barrier defects to musculoskeletal impairments and neurological diseases. Impaired adhesion ultimately goes hand in hand with morphological alterations within the involved adhesive cell-cell junctions, including desmosomes, hemidesmosomes and adherence junctions. Particularly, in recent years, there were many advances in the use of various microscopy techniques in the investigation of the morphology of adhesive intercellular junctions, shedding light on normal and altered morphology and the implication of morphological changes for normal and altered adhesion.
In recent years there have been many advances in the investigation of adhesive cellular junction using specialized microscopy techniques, such as super resolution microscopy, 3D-electron microscopy employing special tools or techniques like quantum dots and whole mouse clearing. This article collection thus aims to provide a stage for researches focused on the investigation of the morphology and alterations in the morphology of the adhesive intercellular junctions, induced by immune dysregulation, using such novel microscopy approaches. The overarching goal of the collection is to further promote our understanding of cell-cell-junction morphology in health and disease by shedding light on the mechanisms involved in their formation, maintenance, regulation and alterations involved in onset and progression in immunological diseases of various tissues.
The scope of the research topic is to create a collection of articles featuring microscopy techniques, highlighting their use for the investigation of adhesive cell-cell junctions, with a focus on immunology and a priority on novel techniques.
To be considered for this research topic, articles thus need to:
• have a strong focus on at least one microscopy technique for investigating the morphology of adhesive intercellular junctions (by extension including the cytoskeleton)
• mainly focus on the investigation of adhesive cell-cell-contacts
• have a focus on either methodology, clinics of diseases involving an impairment of adhesive cell-cell-junctions, basic research on adhesive cell-cell-junctions or closely related topics
• feature an immunological/autoimmunological context
In recent years there have been many advances in the investigation of adhesive cellular junction using specialized microscopy techniques, such as super resolution microscopy, 3D-electron microscopy employing special tools or techniques like quantum dots and whole mouse clearing. This article collection thus aims to provide a stage for researches focused on the investigation of the morphology and alterations in the morphology of the adhesive intercellular junctions, induced by immune dysregulation, using such novel microscopy approaches. The overarching goal of the collection is to further promote our understanding of cell-cell-junction morphology in health and disease by shedding light on the mechanisms involved in their formation, maintenance, regulation and alterations involved in onset and progression in immunological diseases of various tissues.
The scope of the research topic is to create a collection of articles featuring microscopy techniques, highlighting their use for the investigation of adhesive cell-cell junctions, with a focus on immunology and a priority on novel techniques.
To be considered for this research topic, articles thus need to:
• have a strong focus on at least one microscopy technique for investigating the morphology of adhesive intercellular junctions (by extension including the cytoskeleton)
• mainly focus on the investigation of adhesive cell-cell-contacts
• have a focus on either methodology, clinics of diseases involving an impairment of adhesive cell-cell-junctions, basic research on adhesive cell-cell-junctions or closely related topics
• feature an immunological/autoimmunological context
Keywords: Adhesion, Desmosomes, Adherence Junctions, Hemidesmosomes, Cadherins, Cytoskeleton, Autoimmunity, Microscopy, Electron microscopy, Super Resolution Microscopy
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
