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Title: Discuss the role of claudins in the structure of tight junctions. Propose what w Post by: colleen on Dec 18, 2011 Discuss the role of claudins in the structure of tight junctions. Propose what would happen to a tight junction if the extracellular loop were comprised of nonpolar amino acids.
Title: Re: Discuss the role of claudins in the structure of tight junctions. Propose what w Post by: ppk on Jan 10, 2012 Claudins are the proteins associated with the establishment of the paracellular barrier between cells. The charged amino acids of the extracellular loop are thought to form ion-selective pores that allow the passage of specific ions through the barrier. By changing the charged amino acids to nonpolar ones, a hydrophobic region is created that excludes polar molecules (including ions) while allowing the passage of nonpolar substances. This would obviously affect the function of the tissue in which this happened and compromise the viability of the organism.
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