Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Modeling tight junction dynamics and oscillations.

Fuad Kassab1, Ricardo Paulino Marques, Francisco Lacaz-Vieira

  • 1Escola Politécnica, Departamento de Engenharia de Telecomunicaçoes e Controle. Departmento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-900 São Paulo, Brazil.

The Journal of General Physiology
|August 1, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An electrical stimulator for sensory substitution.

Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual Conference·2007
See all related articles
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Tight junction (TJ) permeability is regulated by a feedback control loop involving calcium. Mathematical modeling accurately predicts TJ dynamics and oscillations observed in frog urinary bladders.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Tight junctions (TJs) control paracellular transport and their permeability is sensitive to extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)).
  • Transepithelial electrical conductance (G) in the absence of Na(+) serves as a measure of TJ permeability.
  • The fast Ca(2+) switch assay (FCSA) is used to study early events in TJ dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the early events of TJ dynamics using the FCSA.
  • To investigate the feedback control loop regulating TJ permeability in response to calcium.
  • To develop a mathematical model explaining TJ dynamics and observed oscillations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the fast Ca(2+) switch assay (FCSA) to manipulate basal calcium (Ca(2+)(bl)) and observe TJ responses.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Developed a mathematical model simulating calcium diffusion and TJ barrier regulation.
  • Applied Fick's laws of diffusion to model Ca(2+) movement in the extracellular route and across TJs.

    • Main Results:

    • Observed oscillations in TJ permeability when basal calcium was removed in the presence of apical calcium (Ca(2+)(ap)).
    • The developed mathematical model successfully simulated experimental results, including TJ opening/closing, steady-state attainment, escape phases, and Ca(2+)(ap)-dependent oscillation frequencies.
    • The model supports a feedback control loop involving Ca(2+) sensor sites, a cellular control unit, and TJs as effectors.

    Conclusions:

    • TJ permeability is dynamically regulated by a feedback control loop sensitive to extracellular calcium concentrations.
    • The mathematical model provides a robust framework for understanding TJ behavior and calcium-mediated regulation.
    • The findings offer insights into the biophysical mechanisms governing paracellular transport and epithelial barrier function.