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
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
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
Yuta Endo, Kotaro Sugimoto, Makoto Kobayashi, Yasuyuki Kobayashi, Manabu Kojima, Shigenori Furukawa, Shu Soeda, Takafumi Watanabe, Atsuko Y. Higashi, Tomohito Higashi, Yuko Hashimoto, Keiya Fujimori, Hideki Chiba
Summary: The study evaluated the expression of CLDN9 in endometrial cancer and its association with prognosis. The results showed that high expression of CLDN9 was associated with poor prognosis and could be used in combination with CLDN6 to improve predictive sensitivity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY
(2022)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Abidur Rahman, Makoto Kobayashi, Kotaro Sugimoto, Yuta Endo, Manabu Kojima, Shigenori Furukawa, Takafumi Watanabe, Shu Soeda, Yuko Hashimoto, Keiya Fujimori, Hideki Chiba
Summary: The study revealed that low CLDN12 expression is associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer, and the novel anti-CLDN12 mAb could serve as a valuable tool for assessing the biological relevance of CLDN12 expression in different cancer types and other diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
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
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
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Harleen Kaur, Regis Moreau
Summary: The role of mTORC1 in the regulation of intestinal barrier function and permeability remains to be fully elucidated.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alex J. Vecchio, Sewwandi S. Rathnayake, Robert M. Stroud
Summary: The study reveals the molecular and structural basis of how CpE targets susceptible claudins, as well as differences in the primary CpE receptors in mice and humans due to sequence changes in the target motif.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caroline Hempel, Rita Rosenthal, Anja Fromm, Susanne M. Krug, Michael Fromm, Dorothee Gunzel, Joerg Piontek
Summary: This study analyzed the structural and functional differences between claudin-15 and claudin-10b cation channels and identified several mutants that affect ion permeability and pore diameter. Furthermore, the study revealed that the charge at the W63/K64 position has an impact on the assembly and properties of claudin-10b channels but not claudin-15 channels.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Erika Wakayama, Taiki Kuzu, Keisuke Tachibana, Ryuichi Hirayama, Yoshiaki Okada, Masuo Kondoh
Summary: The blood-brain barrier poses a challenge to drug delivery to the central nervous system. Among the components of the tight junctions in the blood-brain barrier, claudin-5 has been studied extensively as a target for enhancing drug permeation into the brain. However, sustained knockdown of claudin-5 is lethal in mice and administration of an anti-claudin-5 antibody can cause convulsions in nonhuman primates.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2022)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jong-Chan Ahn, Su Jung Hwang, Hyo-Jong Lee, Kyu-Won Kim
Summary: The study showed that claudin-5a is crucial for establishing and maintaining the blood-neural barrier during zebrafish development. Knockdown of claudin-5a resulted in selective leakage through the BBB, decreased expression of glucose transporter 1 in cerebral microvessels, and leakiness in the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, indicating overall abnormal development of the blood-neural barriers.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY C-TOXICOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
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.