Measles is a highly contagious disease that causes immunosuppression in patients. Measles virus infection has been thought to begin in the respiratory epithelium and then spread to lymphoid tissue. In this issue of the JCI, Leonard et al. provide data to suggest an alternative model of measles virus pathogenesis (see the related article beginning on page 2448). In human primary epithelial cells...

We report here a protocol to characterise and monitor the quality of in vitro human cellular barrier models using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which can be applied for transport assays, mechanistic studies and screening of drug/compound (including nanoparticle) penetration across such biological barriers. Data from two examples of biological barriers are given, namely the hCMEC/D3 en...

The gut mucosa acts as a barrier against microbial invaders, whereas resident commensal and foreign invading bacteria interact intimately with the gut epithelium and influence the host cellular and immune systems. The epithelial barrier serves as an infectious foothold for many bacterial pathogens and as an entry port for pathogens to disseminate into deeper tissues. Enteric bacterial pathogens...

Premature infants may be more vulnerable to fungal infections because of their immature immune system, poorly developed epithelial skin and mucosal barriers, and the high rate of invasive procedures, such as central venous catheters and intubation, which compromise host defenses (eg, skin integrity).Voriconazole is a newer systemic antifungal agent effective against Candida and Aspergillus. The...

Epithelial and/or endothelial barriers play a critical role in animal, including human, life forms. The tight junction (TJ) is an essential component of these barriers. Occludin is a major component of the TJ. The structure of occludin, including its gene splice variants and protein essential components have been elucidated. Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation plays a major role in regulation of ...