Epithelial adhesive junctions

F1000Prime Rep. 2014 Jan 2:6:1. doi: 10.12703/P6-1. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Epithelial adhesive cell-to-cell contacts contain large, plasma membrane-spanning multiprotein aggregates that perform vital structural and signaling functions. Three prominent adhesive contacts are the tight junction, adherens junction, and the desmosome. Each junction type has unique cellular functions and a complex molecular composition. In this review, we comment on recent and exciting advances in our understanding of junction composition and function.

Publication types

  • Review