Fig. 5. p120 catenin expression levels control the level of C-cadherin expression at the cell surface and density of the cortical actin skeleton. (A) Representative images of animal caps from Xenopus embryos that were untreated (Control), depleted of p120 (p120 MO), or overexpressing p120 (p120 RNA). (B) Western blot showing the degree to which p120 protein levels are reduced at the blastula stage. (C,D) The changing levels of cortical actin, quantitated by pixel intensity, caused by p120 depletion by an mRNA-targeting antisense deoxynucleiotide oligo (AS1) and rescue by p120 mRNA (C) and increasing doses of p120 mRNA (D). ^*, P<0.05. (E) Images from C-cadherin-stained animal caps from untreated embryos (control) or p120-depleted embryos (p120 MO). (F) Images from untreated embryos (control) and embryos overexpressing p120 (p120 RNA). Depletion and augmentation of p120 cause decrease and increase in the level of C-cadherin at the cell surface, respectively. (G) A p120 mutant (p120 Arm1) that lacks the C-cadherin-binding domain has no effect on either cadherin or cortical actin levels. C-cadherin (upper panels, samples were fixed with 2%TCA) and actin (lower panels, samples were fixed with FG) staining are shown for animal caps from untreated (left panels) and p120 Arm1-injected embryos (right panels). No increase in C-cadherin or F-actin staining is seen. (H) Overall levels of F-actin caused by p120 Arm1 overexpression quantitated by pixel intensity. Scale bars: 10 µm in A; 20 µm in E-G.