The cytoplasmic plaque of tight junctions: a scaffolding and signalling center.
The region of cytoplasm underlying the tight junction (TJ) contains several multimolecular protein complexes, which are involved in scaffolding of membrane proteins, regulation of cytoskeletal organization, establishment of polarity, and signalling to and from the nucleus. In this review, we summarize some of the most recent advances in understanding the identity of these proteins, their domain organization, their protein interactions, and their functions in vertebrate organisms. Analysis of knockdown and knockout model systems shows that several TJ proteins are essential for the formation of epithelial tissues and early embryonic development, whereas others appear to have redundant functions.
Guillemot
Laurent
L
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Paschoud
Serge
S
Pulimeno
Pamela
P
Foglia
Andrea
A
Citi
Sandra
S
D000818:Animals; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D054731:PDZ Domains; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins