Cellular Junctions

Group 1:
Tom Nicolas Ong, Kerstin Ponsaran, Paolo Robert Bueno, Donna Rose Santos, and Pia Monique Hipolito

Cell junctions

Cells in the body frequently need to stick together or communicate with one another. Plasma membrane areas specialized to provide contact between cells

Dense clusters of cell adhesion molecules on the outside linked to cytoskeleton on the inside through adapter proteins Mediates information between cellto-cell activities

These junctions functions as: a binder, an anchor, and a communicator

Cell junctions

Cell junctions can be classified into three functional groups:

Occluding junctions seal cells together in an epithelium in a way that prevents even small molecules from leaking from one side of the sheet to the other. Anchoring junctions mechanically attach cells (and their cytoskeletons) to their neighbors or to the extracellular matrix. Communicating junctions mediate the passage of chemical or electrical signals from one interacting cell to its partner.

Cell junctions:
Animal Tissue

In many animal tissues (e.g., connective tissue), each cell is separated from the next by an extracellular coating or matrix. However, in some tissues (e.g., epithelia), the plasma membranes of adjacent cells are pressed together. Four kinds of junctions occur in vertebrates:

Tight junctions Adherens junctions Gap junctions Desmosomes

Cell junctions:
Tight Junctions

also referred to as a zonula occludens / occluding junctions

Belts of proteins that close extracellular space between cells

seal epithelial layers to prevent materials leaking across the epithelium between the cells

instead materials must pass through:

receptor-mediated endocytosis at the apical surface exocytosis at the basolateral surface

act as a barrier so that materials cannot pass between two interacting cells

Cell junctions:
Tight Junctions

they also divide the epithelial cell membrane into apical (luminal) and basolateral membranes

Molecular structure of tight junctions Claudins (membrane proteins) zip two membranes together Stabilized by spectrin Connected to spectrin by adapter proteins ZO1 and ZO2

Cell junctions:
Tight Junctions

Regulation of tight junctions

The tightness varies according to the barrier needs

Leaky epithelia where there is need for some traffic

Hormones

Vasopressin

Lack of ATP causes leak

Cell junctions:
Adherens Junctions

provide strong mechanical attachments between adjacent cells Confer mechanical strength

reinforce tight junctions are composed of membrane proteins attached to cytoskeleton microfilaments

Common in tissue that are subject to severe stress such as skin and cardiac muscle
Adherens junctions also bind epithelial cells together, where they may form a band around the circumference of each cell, called zonula adherens

Cell junctions:

Adherens Junctions not only tether cells together or to the extracellular matrix but also transduce signals into and out of the cell, influencing a variety of cellular behaviors:

proliferation, migration, differentiation.

They may also bind cells together at discrete spots (focal adhesions). They may also bind cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) at spots called adhesion plaques

Cell junctions:

Adherens Junctions Adherens junctions are built from: cadherins transmembrane proteins (shown in red) whose extracellular segments bind to each other and whose intracellular segments bind to catenins (yellow). Catenins are connected to actin filaments

Cell junctions:
Adherens Junctions

Molecular structure of adherens junctions: Belt like junctions located just below tight junction Simple points of attachment, do not contain channels connecting the interiors of the two attached cells

Cell junctions:
Desmosomes

are similar in some respects to focal adhesions of the adherens type and also contain cadherins, but they link in to the intermediate filaments of the cytoskeleton Mechanical links that bind cells together

Hemidesmosomes modified desmosomes (cell-matrix adhesions) anchor cells to the underlying basement membrane/ basal lamina

Cell junctions:
Desmosomes

their association with the keratin -based cytoskeleton (intermediate filaments) proteins run across the membrane into the intracellular space, to connect the two cells together 'transmembrane linker' proteins are called desmoglein and desmocollin, which are types of cadherin Integrin transmembrane proteins of hemidesmosomes

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

are the most widespread of all cell junctions in animal tissues couple cells electrically and metabolically, enabling cells to communicate with each other directly an open and close in response to changes in calcium levels, and pH.

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Form electrical synapses Direct transmission of action potential without transmitter, receptors etc. Integrate the metabolism of the cells Metabolic coupling or metabolic cooperation transfer of molecules that the neighboring cell can not synthesize (second messengers, precursors of DNA and RNA)

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Cells that use gap junctions: Skin epithelium Endocrine glands GI epithelium Smooth muscle Cardiac muscle Osteocytes Glial cells

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Molecular structure of gap junction

Connexin - basic building block of each gap junction

Connexons - a channel formed by six blocks of connexins

Two connexons on neighboring membranes form a transmembrane channel that interconnects the cytoplasms of two cells Connexons are size filters

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Cell junctions:
Gap Junctions

Cells may modulate the degree of coupling Cytoplasmic levels of Ca2+and pH Phosphorylation Oleamide closes gap junctions and induces sleep

Structure of Oleamide

Cell junctions:
Plant Tissue

In many plant tissues, it turns out that the plasma membrane of each cell is continuous with that of the adjacent cells. The membranes contact each other through openings in the cell wall called Plasmodesmata. middle lamella is a glue that keeps plant cells together

Cell junctions:
Plasmodesmata

allow molecules to be shared between adjacent plant cells

provide an easy route for the movement of ions, small molecules like sugars and amino acids, and even macromolecules like RNA and proteins, between cells

The larger molecules pass through with the aid of actin filaments.

Cell junctions:
Plasmodesmata

Molecular structure of gap junction are sheathed by a plasma membrane that is simply an extension of the plasma membrane of the adjoining cells the endoplasmic reticulum of adjacent plant cells are connected through the plasmodesmata via a tubule called a desmotubule form a continuous cytoplasmic connection between cells called the symplast

Cellular Junctions THE END!