Handbook of Tight Junctions

Tight junctions (TJ) close the gap between endothelial and epithelial cells against undesirable passage of water and solutes. The major protein families of the TJs include junctional adhesion molecules (JAM), claudins, angulins, and TJ-associated MARVEL proteins such as tricellulin and occludin. The majority of these proteins are related to the cytoskeleton through adapters such as zonula occludens (ZO) proteins. TJ proteins not only act as barriers but some of them also create water channe...