Chu P G, Grunwald G B
Department of Anatomy, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1990 May;31(5):847-55.
The normal function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is dependent on the maintenance of tight adhesions between cells. In order to identify cell surface molecules which may be important for maintaining the integrity of the RPE, we have undertaken a combined functional, biochemical, and immunohistochemical analysis of cell surface proteins of the RPE. These studies have led to the identification of a 100-kD cell surface protein whose presence correlates with the maintenance of calcium-dependent adhesions between RPE cells. In intact RPE tissue the protein is concentrated at the junctions between RPE cells. The properties of the protein suggest that it may be a member of the cadherin family of calcium-dependent cell adhesion proteins.
视网膜色素上皮（RPE）的正常功能依赖于细胞间紧密连接的维持。为了鉴定可能对维持RPE完整性至关重要的细胞表面分子，我们对RPE的细胞表面蛋白进行了功能、生化和免疫组织化学的联合分析。这些研究已鉴定出一种100-kD的细胞表面蛋白，其存在与RPE细胞间钙依赖性黏附的维持相关。在完整的RPE组织中，该蛋白集中在RPE细胞之间的连接处。该蛋白的特性表明它可能是钙依赖性细胞黏附蛋白钙黏蛋白家族的一员。
