Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rina Fujiwara-Tani, Shiori Mori, Ruiko Ogata, Rika Sasaki, Ayaka Ikemoto, Shingo Kishi, Masuo Kondoh, Hiroki Kuniyasu
Summary: CLDN4 is a crucial component of tight junctions in epithelial cells and is overexpressed in many epithelial malignancies. Changes in CLDN4 expression are associated with epigenetic factors, inflammation, and growth factor signaling. CLDN4 plays a role in maintaining the tumor microenvironment and acts as a barrier to anticancer drug entry.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Koya Suzuki, Kosuke Yamaga, Reitaro Tokumasu, Tatsuya Katsuno, Hiroo Tanaka, Shuhei Chiba, Takeshi Yagi, Ichiro Katayama, Atsushi Tamura, Hiroyuki Murota, Sachiko Tsukita
Summary: Hair retention in infant mice is regulated by Claudin (CLDN)-1 and CLDN3, which maintain the appropriate layered architecture of hair follicles. Deficiencies in these proteins can lead to hair loss.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
K. M. Diguilio, E. Rybakovsky, M. C. Valenzano, H. H. Nguyen, E. A. Del Rio, E. Newberry, R. Spadea, J. M. Mullin
Summary: The study found that quercetin can improve airway epithelial cell barrier function and reduce barrier compromise caused by TNF-α. This improvement may be related to changes in tight junctional protein composition and inhibition of cell replication.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Susanne C. Grund, Xin Xin Wu, Dominik Mueller, Gunther Wennemuth, Ruth Gruemmer
Summary: Deletion of claudin-3 in the endometrium impairs decidualization and leads to reduced size of implantation sites and fetal weight. Transcription downregulation of various decidua-associated genes may contribute to the impairment of decidualization.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Qing-Ting Yao, Yan-Hui Wu, Shao-Hua Liu, Xiao-Bin Song, Hui Xu, Jun Li, Liang Shi
Summary: The study investigated the effects of radiation on rat submandibular glands and the mechanisms of increased secretion following pilocarpine treatment. It was found that pilocarpine could improve the secretory function of irradiated rat submandibular glands by reducing inflammation, ameliorating the structural injury of tight junctions, and attenuating the up-regulation of claudin-4 expression.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yunika Mayangsari, Mayu Okudaira, Chinatsu Mano, Yuki Tanaka, Osamu Ueda, Tomohiro Sakuta, Yoshiharu Suzuki, Yoshinari Yamamoto, Takuya Suzuki
Summary: Research showed that DMF can enhance intestinal TJ barrier integrity by increasing the expression of occludin and claudin-1, while reducing the expression of claudin-2. This regulation involves the induction of occludin protein translation via mTOR and silencing Cldn2 mRNA via miR-16-5p.
JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Jie Chai, Xiangli Liu, Xinju Hu, Chunfang Wang
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and Claudin-4 expression in breast cancer patients, as well as their potential impact on clinical prognosis and risk assessment. CTCs were classified and enumerated using CTC-enriched in situ hybridization, and Claudin-4 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry. Higher Claudin-4 expression was associated with increased CTC counts, especially of mesenchymal CTCs (M-CTCs), and was an independent predictor of poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. The findings suggest the importance of considering CTCs and Claudin-4 expression for risk assessment and prognosis in breast cancer patients.
PATHOLOGY & ONCOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Natascha Roehlen, Marion Muller, Zeina Nehme, Emilie Crouchet, Frank Juhling, Fabio Del Zompo, Sara Cherradi, Francois H. T. Duong, Nuno Almeida, Antonio Saviano, Mirian Fernandez-Vaquero, Tobias Riedl, Houssein El Saghire, Sarah C. Durand, Clara Ponsolles, Marine A. Oudot, Romain Martin, Nicolas Brignon, Emanuele Felli, Patrick Pessaux, Antonin Lallement, Irwin Davidson, Simonetta Bandiera, Christine Thumann, Patrice Marchand, Solange Moll, Brandon Nicolay, Nabeel Bardeesy, Yujin Hoshida, Mathias Heikenwaelder, Roberto Iacone, Alberto Toso, Markus Meyer, Greg Elson, Tamas Schweighoffer, Geoffrey Teixeira, Mirjam B. Zeisel, Patrice Laquerriere, Joachim Lupberger, Catherine Schuster, Laurent Mailly, Thomas F. Baumert
Summary: In this study, the role of CLDN1 as a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was investigated using humanized monoclonal antibodies targeting non-junctional CLDN1 and various cell and animal models. The results demonstrated that targeting non-junctional CLDN1 significantly suppressed tumor growth and invasion, and affected tumor stemness, metabolism, oncogenic signaling, and the tumor immune microenvironment. These findings provide a rationale for targeting CLDN1 in the treatment of advanced HCC and lay the foundation for the development of CLDN1-specific monoclonal antibodies for clinical use.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kenta Shigetomi, Yumiko Ono, Kenji Matsuzawa, Junichi Ikenouchi
Summary: It has been found that cholesterol accumulation is essential for the formation of tight junctions, which are crucial for the epithelial barrier. Despite the absence of tight junctions, cholesterol still accumulates normally in the vicinity of the apical junctions. Moreover, a claudin mutant that cannot bind to Zonula Occludens (ZO) proteins can still form tight junction strands. ZO proteins are not only scaffolds for claudins, but also promote the formation of cholesterol-rich membrane domains at apical junctions through their effect on the junctional actomyosin cytoskeleton.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Felix Alexander Baier, Daniel Sanchez-Taltavull, Tural Yarahmadov, Cristina Gomez Castella, Fadi Jebbawi, Adrian Keogh, Riccardo Tombolini, Adolfo Odriozola, Mariana Castro Dias, Urban Deutsch, Mikio Furuse, Britta Engelhardt, Benoit Zuber, Alex Odermatt, Daniel Candinas, Deborah Stroka
Summary: This study reveals the important role of claudin-3 in maintaining metabolic homeostasis, retention of bile acids, and optimal hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration in mice. The absence of claudin-3 resulted in down-regulation of metabolic pathways, decreased lipid content, weakened biliary barrier, and impaired hepatocyte proliferation response.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fumisato Maesaka, Masaomi Kuwada, Shohei Horii, Shingo Kishi, Rina Fujiwara-Tani, Shiori Mori, Kiyomu Fujii, Takuya Mori, Hitoshi Ohmori, Takuya Owari, Makito Miyake, Yasushi Nakai, Nobumichi Tanaka, Ujjal Kumar Bhawal, Yi Luo, Masuo Kondoh, Kiyohide Fujimoto, Hiroki Kuniyasu
Summary: In bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC), the overexpression of CLDN4 is associated with cancer progression. Through analyzing BUC cases, it was found that hypomethylation of CLDN4 promoter DNA increases CLDN4 expression and promotes cell proliferation, stemness, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Treatment with demethylating agent AZA leads to excessive CLDN4 expression, specifically the TJ-unintegrated CLDN4 monomer. The TJ-unintegrated CLDN4 binds to integrin beta 1 and enhances stemness, drug resistance, and metastatic ability of the cells, as well as exhibits an anti-apoptosis effect via FAK phosphorylation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Hyunjhung Jhun, Won-Young Lee, Jin-Ki Park, Sun-Goo Hwang, Hyun-Jung Park
Summary: Cryptorchidism may affect Claudin expression, which in turn impacts the proliferation of Sertoli cells and spermatogenesis.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Paula Marincola Smith, Yash A. Choksi, Nicholas O. Markham, David N. Hanna, Jinghuan Zi, Connie J. Weaver, Jalal A. Hamaamen, Keeli B. Lewis, Jing Yang, Qi Liu, Izumi Kaji, Anna L. Means, R. Daniel Beauchamp
Summary: This study reveals that canonical TGF beta family signaling modulates the expression of critical tight junction proteins in colon epithelial cells, and that the expression of these tight junction proteins is associated with the maintenance of colon epithelial barrier function in mice.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abigail Taylor, Mark Warner, Christopher Mendoza, Calvin Memmott, Tom LeCheminant, Sara Bailey, Colter Christensen, Julie Keller, Arminda Suli, Dario Mizrachi
Summary: The tight junction (TJ) is a structure composed of multiple proteins responsible for cell-cell adhesion in polarized endothelium and epithelium. This article introduces a new experimental method to study the membrane protein claudins (CLDNs), providing a novel approach for studying other membrane proteins.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Furong Deng, Di Wang, Fuguang Chen, Tongyan Lu, Shaowu Li
Summary: This study identified and functionally characterized OmCLDN4L protein in rainbow trout. OmCLDN4L plays a crucial role in the rainbow trout's immune response to bacterial infection and provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of intestinal barrier in rainbow trout against F. psychrophilum infection.
FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)