title: Tight junctions: from simple barriers to multifunctional molecular gates.
abstract: Epithelia and endothelia separate different tissue compartments and protect multicellular organisms from the outside world. This requires the formation of tight junctions, selective gates that control paracellular diffusion of ions and solutes. Tight junctions also form the border between the apical and basolateral plasma-membrane domains and are linked to the machinery that controls apicobasal polarization. Additionally, signalling networks that guide diverse cell behaviours and functions are connected to tight junctions, transmitting information to and from the cytoskeleton, nucleus and different cell adhesion complexes. Recent advances have broadened our understanding of the molecular architecture and cellular functions of tight junctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Ceniz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zihni
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matter
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK.
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Balda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000502:physiology