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Tight Junctions

Tight Junctions

Tight junctions are molecular seals between cells that prevent the leaking of fluids, ions, and other small solutes across cavities and compartments in multicellular organisms. They are mainly composed of claudin and occludin transmembrane proteins, and other proteins such as tricellulin and JAM (junctional adhesion molecule). All these proteins are 4-pass transmembrane proteins, except JAM, which is a single-pass transmembrane protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. The...

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring junctions are multiprotein complexes that help cells connect to other cells and the extracellular matrix. Anchoring junctions are present on the lateral and basal surfaces of cells, providing strong and flexible connections. Focal adhesions are often formed due to cell interactions with the ECM substrata, which initiate signal transduction via kinase cascades and other mechanisms. Together, they provide stability and tissue integrity. There are three types of anchoring junctions:...

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

The complex three-dimensional arrangement of cells in any multicellular organism is defined and maintained by interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. Cell-cell junctions are specialized structures where the multi-protein complexes on one cell interact with the multi-protein complexes on another cell. These cell junctions are classified into three main types based on their function — occluding, anchoring, and gap junctions.
Occluding or Tight...

Adherens Junctions

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types – adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with...

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Protein-Condensate Dynamics in Live Human Cells

Published on: January 5, 2024

Biomolecular condensates in epithelial junctions.

Daxiao Sun¹, Isabel LuValle-Burke¹, Karina Pombo-García¹

¹Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology

|June 13, 2022

Summary

Multivalent proteins drive the assembly of cellular compartments through phase separation. This review highlights evidence that scaffold protein phase separation is key to forming tight junctions and focal adhesions.

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Last Updated: Sep 8, 2025

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Single-Molecule Imaging of EWS-FLI1 Condensates Assembling on DNA

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biochemistry
Biophysics

Background:

Epithelial junctions are crucial transmembrane protein complexes regulating cell adhesion, polarity, permeability, and tissue mechanics.
Junctional complexes feature cytoplasmic plaques composed of multivalent scaffold proteins that control junction assembly.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of protein phase separation in forming membrane-less cellular compartments.
To summarize evidence linking scaffold protein phase separation to the assembly of tight junctions and focal adhesions.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on protein phase separation.
Analysis of research on scaffold proteins in epithelial junctions.

Main Results:

Phase separation of multivalent proteins is a general mechanism for assembling membrane-less cellular compartments.
Recent evidence indicates scaffold protein phase separation is involved in tight junction and focal adhesion assembly.

Conclusions:

Protein phase separation is a fundamental process in cellular organization.
Understanding phase separation in junctional scaffold proteins offers insights into tissue integrity and cell adhesion.