Afadin–nectin forces its way to the front

Abstract

Force transmission at cell–cell junctions critically regulates embryogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and diseases including cancer. The cadherin–catenin linkage has been considered the keystone of junctional force transmission, but new findings challenge this paradigm, arguing instead that the nectin–afadin linkage plays the more important role in mature junctions in the intestinal epithelium.