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Published 19 December 2005. doi:10.1083/jcb.200510043
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $8.00
JCB, Volume 171, Number 6, 939-945
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Tricellulin constitutes a novel barrier at tricellular contacts of epithelial cells



Junichi Ikenouchi1,3, Mikio Furuse1, Kyoko Furuse4, Hiroyuki Sasaki4,5, Sachiko Tsukita1,2,3, and Shoichiro Tsukita1,3

1 Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
2 School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
3 Solution Oriented Research for Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
4 Knowledge Action Network Research Institute, Inc., Kyoto Research Park, Chudoji, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8317, Japan
5 Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of DNA Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan

Correspondence to Shoichiro Tsukita: htsukita{at}mfour.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp


Abstract

For epithelia to function as barriers, the intercellular space must be sealed. Sealing two adjacent cells at bicellular tight junctions (bTJs) is well described with the discovery of the claudins. Yet, there are still barrier weak points at tricellular contacts, where three cells join together. In this study, we identify tricellulin, the first integral membrane protein that is concentrated at the vertically oriented TJ strands of tricellular contacts. When tricellulin expression was suppressed with RNA interference, the epithelial barrier was compromised, and tricellular contacts and bTJs were disorganized. These findings indicate the critical function of tricellulin for formation of the epithelial barrier.

Abbreviations used in this paper: bTJ, bicellular TJ; RNAi, RNA interference; SJ, septate junction; TER, transepithelial electric resistance; TJ, tight junction; tTJ, tricellular TJ.


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