17-12-2024

Definition and Classification of cell junction

• Cell junction is the connection between the neighbouring cells or the contact between
the cell and extracellular matrix.

Cell Connections & Junctions • It is also called membrane junction.

Cell junctions can be classified into three functional groups:

1. 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.

2. Anchoring junctions mechanically attach cells (and their cytoskeletons) to their

neighbors or to the extracellular matrix.

3. Communicating junctions mediate the passage of chemical or electrical signals from

one interacting cell to its partner.

Occluding Junction
Types of cell junction in animal tissue
• A cell-cell junction that seals cells together in an epithelium in a way that
prevents even small molecules from leaking from one side of the sheet to the
other.

• Tight Junction
Tight Junction- occluding junctions / zonulae occludens - zonula
occludens), are the closely associated areas of two cells whose
membranes join together forming a virtually impermeable barrier to fluid.
 A type of junctional complex present only in vertebrates.
 Consist of linear array of several integral proteins.
 Junctional proteins occludins and claudins & members of IG suprfamily
are transmembrane proteins.

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Function of Tight Junction

Proteins of tight junction
Proteins involved in the formation of tight junctions are
classified into two types:
• Strength and stability
1. Tight junction membrane proteins or integral membrane • Selective permeable for ions.
proteins, such as occludin, claudin and junctional
• Fencing function
adhesion molecules (JAMs)
• Maintance of cell polarity
2. Scaffold (framework or platform) proteins or peripheral • Blood-brain barrier
membrane proteins or cytoplasmic plaque • Cludin -16 in Thick Junctions of Ascending Loop of henle.
proteins such as cingulin, symplekin and ZO1,
2, 3. • Cludin- 15 Permability of cations / anions.

Anchoring junction.
Anchoring junctions are widely distributed in animal tissues
and are most abundant in tissues that are subjected to severe
• Anchoring junction are the junction ,which provides strength to
the cell by acting like mechanical attachment. mechanical stress, such as heart, muscle, and epidermis.

• These junction provide firm structural attachment between two They are composed of two main classes of proteins.
cells or between a cell and extracellular matrix a.Intracellular anchor proteins
b.Transmembrane adhesion proteins
• Anchoring junction are responsible for structural integrity of the
tissue. In addition to anchor proteins and adhesion proteins, many
anchoring junctions
contain intracellular signaling proteins that enable the junctions
to signal to the cell interior.

12/2/2023

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Anchoring junctions occur in two functionally different forms:

Desmosomes
• Also known as macula adherens is a cell structure specialized for cell-to-cell
1. Adherens junctions and desmosomes hold cells together and adhesion.

are formed by transmembrane adhesion proteins that belong to • Are molecular complexes of cell adhesion proteins and linking proteins that attach
the cadherin family. the cell surface adhesion proteins to intracellular keratin cytoskeletal filaments.

• The cell adhesion proteins of the desmosome, desmoglein and desmocollin, are
members of the cadherin family.
2. Focal adhesions and hemidesmosomes bind cells to the
• On the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane, there are two dense structures
extracellular matrix and are formed by transmembrane adhesion called the Outer Dense Plaque (ODP) and the Inner Dense Plaque (IDP).

proteins of the integrin family.

Desmosomes
Hemidesmosomes

• Hemidesmosomes look like half-desmosomes that attach cells to the

underlying basal lamina.
• Rather than using desmogleins, hemidesmosomes use desmopenetrin
cell adhesion proteins,which are members of Integrin family.

• The integrin molecule attach to one of many multi-adhesive proteins

such as laminin, resident within the extracellular matrix, thereby
forming one of many potential adhesions between cell and matrix.

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Communicating Junction
Gap Junction
• Cell junction which permit the intercellular exchange of substance are called
communicating junction, these junction permit the movement of ions and • Gap junctions are clusters of intercellular channels that allow direct
molecules from one cell to another cell. diffusion of ions and small molecules between adjacent cells.

a. Gap junction • At gap junctions, the intercellular space narrows from 25 nm to 3 nm.
b. Chemical synapse • gap junctions were first discovered in myocardium and nerve because of
their properties of electrical transmission between adjacent cells.

Gap Junction

• Low resistance intercellular junction that allows passage of ions and smaller
molecules between the cells.

• It present in heart, basal part of epithelial cell of intestinal mucosa, etc

• Junctional unit-Connexons- 6 connexins

• Connexon of one cell have allignment with connexon of other cells.

• Electron microscopy of gap junctions joining adjacent hepatocytes in the

mouse. The gap junction (GJ) is seen as an area of close plasma membrane
apposition

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Chemical synapse

• Chemical synapse is the junction between a nerve fibre and a

Function of gap junction- muscle fiber or between two nerve fibre ,through which signals
 channel passage the substance have molecular weight transmitted by the release of chemical transmitter.
less than 1000.

 Exchange of chemical messenger between cells

 Rapid propagation of action potential from one cell
to another cell.