We examined the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and spinal cord of fetuses after maternal treatment with single and multiple courses of dexamethasone. Ewes received either single courses of four 6-mg dexamethasone or placebo injections every 12 h for 48 h between 104 and 107 days or the same treatment once a week between 76-78 and 104-107 days of g...

The role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in the mechanism of EGF-mediated prevention of acetaldehyde-induced tight junction disruption was evaluated in Caco-2 cell monolayers. Pretreatment of cell monolayers with EGF attenuated acetaldehyde-induced decrease in resistance and increase in inulin permeability and redistribution of occludin, zona occludens-1 (ZO-1), E-cadherin, and β-ca...

A comparison was made of the phosphate content of the tight-junction-specific protein ZO-1 in two strains of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells which differ in transepithelial resistance, a parameter reflective of tight-junctional permeability. Analysis revealed that the ZO-1 from the low-resistance strain contained approximately twice as much phosphate as that from the high-resistance strain.

PURPOSE Hypercholesterolemia and tight junctions play important roles in atherosclerosis. But the relationship between these two factors is unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether hypercholesterolemic serum could change the permeability of endothelial cells through altering expression and/or distribution of tight junction protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). Phosphatidylinositol 3-...

The gap junction protein connexin43 (Cx43) binds to the second PDZ domain of Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) through its C-terminal tail, mediating the regulation of gap junction plaque size and dynamics. Biochemical study demonstrated that the very C-terminal 12 residues of Cx43 are necessary and sufficient for ZO-1 PDZ2 binding and phosphorylation at residues Ser (-9) and Ser (-10) of the peptide c...

The development of the complex network of epithelial tubes that ultimately forms the Drosophila tracheal system relies on cell migration, cell shape changes, cell rearrangements, cell differentiation, and branch fusion . Most of these events are controlled by a combination of distinct transcription factors and cell-cell signaling molecules, but few proteins that do not fall within these two fun...

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a clinical manifestation of respiratory failure, caused by lung inflammation and the disruption of the alveolar-capillary barrier. Preservation of the physical integrity of the alveolar epithelial monolayer is of critical importance to prevent alveolar edema. Barrier integrity depends largely on the balance between physical forces on cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts...

Zingerone (ZO), a dietary phenolic compound was investigated for its ability to protect against radiation-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in Chinese hamster fibroblast cells (V79). Cells treated with optimal dose of ZO (25 μg/ml), 1 h prior radiation exposure resulted in a significant (P<0.01) elevation of cell survival and decreased the genotoxicity (micronuclei and comet assays). Furt...

The structure and function of both adherens (AJ) and tight (TJ) junctions are dependent on the cortical actin cytoskeleton. The zonula occludens (ZO)-1 and -2 proteins have context-dependent interactions with both junction types and bind directly to F-actin and other cytoskeletal proteins, suggesting ZO-1 and -2 might regulate cytoskeletal activity at cell junctions. To address this hypothesis,...