ABSTRACT
The establishment of compositionally distinct fluid compartments by the epithelium is crucial for the development and function of most organs in multicellular systems. The tight junction, an element of the epithelial junctional complex, is directly involved in this compartmentalization. Recent studies have identified various peripheral and integral membrane proteins which are specifically concentrated at tight junctions, allowing the dissection of tight junctions both structurally and functionally. Here, we present an overview of recent progress in the identification of tight junction components and discuss the possible molecular architecture of tight junctions.
