Title:Tight Junctions of the Blood-Brain Barrier – A Molecular Gatekeeper
Volume: 15
Issue: 9
Author(s): Hannelore Bauer and Andreas Traweger
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Blood-brain barrier, tight junctions, scaffold proteins, zonula occludens, brain capillary endothelial cells, vascular
permeability.
Abstract: A tight regulation of the neuroparenchymal microenvironment is
imperative for proper neurological function. The flux of blood-borne ions and
solutes is restricted by specialized tissue barriers and of the three main central
nervous system barriers, the brain endothelium constituting the blood-brain barrier
represents the major interface between blood and brain. At the basis of the bloodbrain
barrier are, next to an elaborate transporting machinery, tight junctions which
create not only a paracellular diffusion constraint but also enable vectorial transport
across the endothelial monolayer. Generally, tight junctions not only represent a cellcell
adhesion structure, but integrate various signaling pathways via large multiprotein
complexes, thereby impacting upon processes such as cell proliferation,
cytoskeletal rearrangement, and transcriptional control. This review provides an overview of tight
junction morphology and discusses our current understanding of the molecular composition of
endothelial tight junctions at the blood-brain barrier.