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Updated: Oct 22, 2025

Sensing of Barrier Tissue Disruption with an Organic Electrochemical Transistor
Published on: February 10, 2014
Junctional complexes in epithelial cells: sentinels for extracellular insults and intracellular homeostasis
Rong Fu1, Xiaowan Jiang1, Gang Li1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, China.
Abstract:
The cell-cell and cell-ECM junctions within the epithelial tissues are crucial anchoring structures that provide architectural stability, mechanical resistance, and permeability control. Their indispensable role as signaling hubs orchestrating cell shape-related changes such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis has also been well recognized. However, growing amount of evidence now suggests that the multitasking nature of epithelial junctions extends well beyond anchorage-dependent or cell shape change-related biological processes. In this review, we discuss the emerging roles of junctional complexes in regulating innate immune defense, stress resistance, and intracellular proteostasis of the epithelial cells, with emphasis on the upstream regulation of epithelial junctions on various aspects of the epithelial barrier.
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