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Setting up a selective barrier at the apical junction complex.
James Melvin Anderson1, Christina M Van Itallie, Alan S Fanning
1Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. jandersen@med.unc.edu
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|June 16, 2004
Summary
Epithelial cell junctions form critical barriers and polarity across animals. Claudins and PAR proteins are key to barrier function and assembly, despite differences in cell contact organization.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Epithelial biology
- Comparative biology
Background:
- The apical junction complex in epithelial cells is vital for forming permeability barriers and establishing cell polarity.
- While utilizing conserved proteins, the morphology and organization of cell-cell contacts vary across species like nematodes, flies, and mammals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conserved and divergent mechanisms underlying epithelial barrier formation and cell polarity.
- To highlight the roles of specific protein families in these fundamental cellular processes.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of protein families involved in apical junction complex formation.
- Review of existing literature on epithelial barrier function and cell polarity across different animal models.
Main Results:
- The claudin family of proteins is identified as a key determinant of selective pore-like properties in both vertebrate and invertebrate epithelial barriers.
- Conserved polarity-generating protein complexes, notably PAR protein complexes, are essential for the assembly of these epithelial barriers.
Conclusions:
- Claudins and PAR proteins represent evolutionarily conserved components crucial for epithelial barrier integrity and polarity.
- Despite species-specific variations in junctional morphology, fundamental molecular mechanisms involving claudins and PAR proteins are conserved across the animal kingdom.