Claudins: Critical Regulators of Epithelial Barriers and Morphogenesis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Our goal is to understand how simple epithelial cell layers are transformed into complex 3D shapes. To do this, we are studying neural tube formation in the chick embryo. During this process, a flat sheet of epithelial cells is transformed into a closed tube with an overlying layer of surface ectoderm. Our data revealed new functions the claudin family of tight junction proteins that have an essential role in regulating the movement of ions and small molecules between cells. Specifically, we showed that (i) Cldn8 is required for cell shape changes that allow the neural ectoderm to bend to form the base of the neural tube, (ii) Cldn3 is required in the non-neural ectoderm to close the top of the neural tube and separate it from the surface ectoderm, and (iii) these claudins are required to localize proteins that regulate cell shape changes to the cytoplasmic face of tight junctions. Our findings, that claudins are upstream of molecules that regulate the actin-cytoskeleton and cell-shape changes, are novel.