Claudins: multifunctional players in epithelial tight junctions and their role in cancer

Abstract

The molecular architecture of tight junctions has been a subject of extensive studies that have shown tight junctions to be composed of many peripheral and integral membrane proteins. Claudins have been considered the main tight junction-forming proteins; however, the role they play in a series of pathophysiological events, including human carcinoma development, is only now beginning to be understood. Increasing evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies have identified the influence of claudins on tight junction structure and function, although claudins also participate in cellular contexts other than tight junctions. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss the conceptual framework concerning claudins, focusing on the involvement of these proteins in epithelial cell polarity establishment, paracellular transport control, signal transduction and tumorigenesis.

Overexpression of Claudin-1 is Associated with Advanced Clinical Stage and Invasive Pathologic Characteristics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…The altered expression of selected members of the claudin family has been reported in several cancers [8,9]. Their levels of expression appear to be distinctly variable depending on the type of cancers.…”

Structural Constraints for the Binding of Short Peptides to Claudin-4 Revealed by Surface Plasmon Resonance

“…Immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting, and gene expression analysis demonstrate that Cldn-4 is highly expressed in colon, nasopharynx surface epithelia cells as well as on M-cells in Peyer's patch (5,6,7). Reports also show that Cldn-4 can be overexpressed in a variety of cancers including breast, prostate, and colorectal, suggesting a potential for therapies through Cldn-4 targeting (8).…”

Gentamicin sulphate permeation through porcine intestinal epithelial cell monolayer

“…Claudins and E-cadherin have been considered as key integral protein regulators responsible for the maintenance of electrical resistance and paracellular integrity (Oliveira and Morgado-Diaz, 2007). Previous findings indicate that certain solvents, like the surfactant labrasol, can disrupt tight junction integrity, and thus enhance the penetration of gentamicin across membranes (Hu et al, 2001).…”