Architecture of tight junctions and principles of molecular composition

CM Van Itallie, JM Anderson - Seminars in cell & developmental biology, 2014 - Elsevier
CM Van Itallie, JM Anderson
Seminars in cell & developmental biology, 2014Elsevier
The tight junction creates an intercellular barrier limiting paracellular movement of solutes
and material across epithelia. Currently many proteins have been identified as components
of the tight junction and understanding their architectural organization and interactions is
critical to understanding the biology of the barrier. In general the architecture can be
conceptualized into compartments with the transmembrane barrier proteins (claudins,
occludin, JAM-A, etc.), linked to peripheral scaffolding proteins (such as ZO-1, afadin …
Abstract
The tight junction creates an intercellular barrier limiting paracellular movement of solutes and material across epithelia. Currently many proteins have been identified as components of the tight junction and understanding their architectural organization and interactions is critical to understanding the biology of the barrier. In general the architecture can be conceptualized into compartments with the transmembrane barrier proteins (claudins, occludin, JAM-A, etc.), linked to peripheral scaffolding proteins (such as ZO-1, afadin, MAGI1, etc.) which are in turned linked to actin and microtubules through numerous linkers (cingulin, myosins, protein 4.1, etc.). Within this complex network are associated many signaling proteins that affect the barrier and broader cell functions. The PDZ domain is a commonly used motif to specifically link individual junction protein pairs. Here we review some of the key proteins defining the tight junction and general themes of their organization with the perspective that much will be learned about function by characterizing the detailed architecture and subcompartments within the junction.
Elsevier