If developing pre-nerve cells expressing only N-cadherin on their surfaces were mixed with epithelial cells expressing only E-cadherin, what would be the most likely result?
A) All cells would mix and adhere to one another equally.
B) Nerve cells would adhere to one another, and epithelial cells would adhere to one another.
C) Nerve cells would adhere to one another in the center, and epithelial cells would surround them.
D) Epithelial cells would adhere to one another in the center, and nerve cells would surround them.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

N-cadherin is a type of cadherin that is mainly expressed on the surface of nerve cells, while E-cadherin is mainly expressed on the surface of epithelial cells. Cadherins are transmembrane proteins that mediate cell-cell adhesion by homophilic interactions, meaning that N-cadherin interacts preferentially with other N-cadherin molecules, and E-cadherin interacts preferentially with other E-cadherin molecules. Therefore, if pre-nerve cells expressing only N-cadherin on their surfaces were mixed with epithelial cells expressing only E-cadherin, the most likely result would be that nerve cells would adhere to one another, and epithelial cells would adhere to one another, as they cannot form stable adhesions across different cadherin types.

If Developing Pre-Nerve Cells Expressing Only N-Cadherin on Their Surfaces