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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

PIP-on-a-chip: A Label-free Study of Protein-phosphoinositide Interactions
Published on: July 27, 2017
Phosphoinositide signaling pathways: promising role as builders of epithelial cell polarity
Ama Gassama-Diagne1, Bernard Payrastre
1Unité Mixte INSERM U785/Université Paris XI, Centre Hépatobiliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France.
Abstract:
Polarity is a prerequisite for proper development and function of epithelia in metazoa. The major feature of polarized epithelial cells is the presence of specialized domains with asymmetric distribution of macromolecular contents including proteins and lipids. The apical domain is involved in exchange with the organ lumen, and the basolateral membrane maintains contact with neighboring cells and the underlying extracellular matrix. The two domains are separated by tight junctions, which act as a diffusion barrier to prevent free mixing of domain-specific proteins and lipids. Extensive studies have shed light on the numerous protein families involved in cell polarization. However, many questions still remain regarding the molecular mechanisms of polarity regulation and in particular very little is known about the role of lipids in building polarity. In this chapter, essential determinants of epithelial polarity will be reviewed with a particular focus on metabolism and function of phosphoinositides.
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