Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor
Published on: February 10, 2014
[LAP proteins: new gatekeepers of epithelial homeostasis]
Fanny Jaulin-Bastard1, Sébastien Nola, Jean-Paul Borg
1Laboratoire de Pharmacologie moléculaire, UMR 599 Inserm-Institut Paoli-Calmettes, 27, boulevard Leï Roure, 13009 Marseille, France.
Abstract:
Cell proliferation and cell differentiation are balanced processes required for the correct development and maintenance of tissues, including epithelial tissues. Disruption of this balance by downregulation or loss of function of gatekeepers of epithelial homeostasis may unleash tumor suppressing activities leading ultimately to tumorigenesis. Among the newcoming actors involved in epithelial cell polarity, recent data shed light on the crucial role played by the LAP (LRR And PDZ) protein family. LAP proteins assemble receptors, cytoplasmic adaptors and enzymes in multimolecular networks important for the different steps of epithelial differentiation : adhesion, building of tight junctions and trafficking of proteins along the secretory pathway. Furthermore, genetic studies in invertebrates and vertebrates have installed LAP proteins not only as crucial determinants for epithelial integrity but also as key regulators of cell proliferation and embryonic development.
Related Concept Videos
Tight Junctions
Cytoskeletal Linker Proteins - Plakins
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Adherens Junctions
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
