Tight junctions: closing in on the seal.
The claudins have recently been identified as a large family of transmembrane proteins located at tight junctions between epithelial cells; they create the paracellular diffusion barrier and, surprisingly, may also confer channel-like selectivity for passage of solutes through the tissue barrier.
Anderson
J M
JM
Departments of Internal Medicine and Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven 06580-8019, USA. james.anderson@yale.edu
Van Itallie
C M
CM
D000818:Animals; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D062793:Occludin; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D008565:Membrane Proteins; C568985:OCLN protein, human; D062793:Occludin