Regulation of the movement of solutes across tight junctions.
The intercellular tight junction is the rate-limiting barrier in the paracellular pathway for permeation by ions and larger solutes. A variety of widely used electrical and flux approaches are used in the analyses of solute permeation through this pathway; however, each has limitations in practice. It is now clear that solute permeation across tight junctions is dynamically regulated by intracellular events with a common effector mechanism apparently tied to the cytoskeleton. These pathways, which regulate tight junction solute permeability, are targets that produce epithelial barrier dysfunction in a variety of disease states. However, regulation of solute permeation across the junctional barrier may also represent a potential means to improve bioavailability of orally administered bioactive solutes.
Madara
J L
JL
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D010539:Permeability; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure