title: Setting up a selective barrier at the apical junction complex.
abstract: Across the animal kingdom the apical junction complex of epithelial cells creates both a permeability barrier and cell polarity. Although based on overlapping and evolutionarily conserved proteins, the cell-cell contacts of nematodes, flies and mammals appear to differ in morphology and functional organization. Emerging evidence shows that the selective pore-like properties of vertebrate and invertebrate barriers are created by the claudin family. Similarly, assembly of the barriers requires a conserved set of polarity-generating protein complexes, particularly the PAR protein complexes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. jandersen@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: James Melvin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Van Itallie
authors.forename: Alan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fanning
mesh_terms: D022005:Adherens Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000502:physiology; D016764:Cell Polarity / Q000502:physiology; D062445:Claudin-1; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: C568108:CLDN1 protein, human; D062445:Claudin-1; D008565:Membrane Proteins