TY - JOUR
T1 - Organization and formation of the tight junction system in human epidermis and cultured keratinocytes
AU - Brandner, Johanna M.
AU - Kief, Sabine
AU - Grund, Christine
AU - Rendl, Michael
AU - Houdek, Pia
AU - Kuhn, Caecilia
AU - Tschachler, Erwin
AU - Franke, Werner W.
AU - Moll, Ingrid
N1 - Funding Information:
Fig. 10. Immunofluorescence microscopy of TJ proteins on frozen sections of a human skin organ culture model during wound healing 18 h (left column), 24 h (middle column) and 5 d (right column) after ™wounding∫ (total epidermis has been removed; for details see Materials and methods). Uppermost panel: schematic illustration of the wound-healing skin organ culture model (green, D, dermis; yellow, E, epidermis). The ™magnifying glass∫ shows the location of the tissue Acknowledgements. We thank Ewa Wladykowski and Birgit H¸sing (Hamburg) for excellent technical assistance and Jutta M¸ller-Osterholt (Heidelberg) for competent photographical work. We also gratefully acknowledge Drs. Shoichiro Tsukita (Kyoto), Roland Moll (Marburg), Lutz Langbein (Heidelberg) and Nikolas K. Haass (Hamburg) for stimulating discussions. We are indebted to Dr. Herbert Spring (Heidelberg) for his expert cooperation in the laser scanning confocal microscopy as well as Guido Bruning and Dr. Andrea Diederich for clinical support and Dr. Peter von den Driesch (all Hamburg) for expert histopathological diagnosis. This work has been supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant Mo 644/4 ± 1 to Drs. J. M. Brandner, W. W. Franke and I. Moll) Note added. After completion of this manuscript we learnt of a study by Pummi et al. (2001) on normal, diseased and fetal human skin, using antibodies to occludin and protein ZO-1, which is essentially in agreement with the present report.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Occludin and several proteins of the claudin family have been identified in simple epithelia and in endothelia as major and structure-determining transmembrane proteins clustered in the barrier-forming tight junctions (TJ), where they are associated with a variety of TJ plaque proteins, including protein ZO-1. To examine whether TJ also occur in the squamous stratified epithelium of the interfollicular human epidermis we have applied several microscopic and biochemical techniques. Using RT-PCR techniques, we have identified mRNAs encoding protein ZO-1, occludin and claudins 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 17 in both tissues, skin and cultured keratinocytes, whereas claudins 5 and 10 have only been detected in skin tissue. By immunocytochemistry we have localized claudin-1, occludin and protein ZO-1 in distinct plasma membrane structures representing cell-cell attachment zones. While claudin-1 occurs in plasma membranes of all living cell layers, protein ZO-1 is concentrated in or even restricted to the uppermost layers, and occludin is often detected only in the stratum granulosum. Using electron microscopy, typical TJ structures ("kissing points") as well as some other apparently related junctional structures have been detected in the stratum granulosum, interspersed between desmosomes. Modes and patterns of TJ formation have also been studied in experimental model systems, e.g., during wound healing and stratification as well as in keratinocyte cultures during Ca2+-induced stratification. We conclude that the epidermis contains in the stratum granulosum a continuous zonula occludens-equivalent structure with typical TJ morphology and molecular composition, characterized by colocalization of occludin, claudins and TJ plaque proteins. In addition, cell-cell contact structures and certain TJ proteins can also be detected in other epidermal cell layers in specific cell contacts. The pattern of formation and possible functions of epidermal TJ and related structures are discussed.
AB - Occludin and several proteins of the claudin family have been identified in simple epithelia and in endothelia as major and structure-determining transmembrane proteins clustered in the barrier-forming tight junctions (TJ), where they are associated with a variety of TJ plaque proteins, including protein ZO-1. To examine whether TJ also occur in the squamous stratified epithelium of the interfollicular human epidermis we have applied several microscopic and biochemical techniques. Using RT-PCR techniques, we have identified mRNAs encoding protein ZO-1, occludin and claudins 1, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, and 17 in both tissues, skin and cultured keratinocytes, whereas claudins 5 and 10 have only been detected in skin tissue. By immunocytochemistry we have localized claudin-1, occludin and protein ZO-1 in distinct plasma membrane structures representing cell-cell attachment zones. While claudin-1 occurs in plasma membranes of all living cell layers, protein ZO-1 is concentrated in or even restricted to the uppermost layers, and occludin is often detected only in the stratum granulosum. Using electron microscopy, typical TJ structures ("kissing points") as well as some other apparently related junctional structures have been detected in the stratum granulosum, interspersed between desmosomes. Modes and patterns of TJ formation have also been studied in experimental model systems, e.g., during wound healing and stratification as well as in keratinocyte cultures during Ca2+-induced stratification. We conclude that the epidermis contains in the stratum granulosum a continuous zonula occludens-equivalent structure with typical TJ morphology and molecular composition, characterized by colocalization of occludin, claudins and TJ plaque proteins. In addition, cell-cell contact structures and certain TJ proteins can also be detected in other epidermal cell layers in specific cell contacts. The pattern of formation and possible functions of epidermal TJ and related structures are discussed.
KW - Claudins
KW - Epidermis
KW - Keratinocytes
KW - Occludin
KW - Tight junctions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0036014853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1078/0171-9335-00244
DO - 10.1078/0171-9335-00244
M3 - Article
C2 - 12067061
AN - SCOPUS:0036014853
SN - 0171-9335
VL - 81
SP - 253
EP - 263
JO - European Journal of Cell Biology
JF - European Journal of Cell Biology
IS - 5
ER -