Nikitas Georgios, Cossart Pascale
Biomedical Research Foundation Academy of Athens, 11527, Athens, Greece.
Subcell Biochem. 2012;60:415-25. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-4186-7_17.
Epithelia are highly organised structures protecting underlying tissues against microbial pathogens. Epithelial morphogenesis and maintenance is mediated by cell-cell adhesion molecules organised in junctional complexes, such as the adherens junctions. The tight organisation of these complexes and their interactions with cellular factors render the epithelia impermeable to potential invaders. Nevertheless, pathogens have developed strategies to target, interact and manipulate junctional complexes, in order to disrupt or cross the epithelial barriers and cause infection. Bacteria, viruses and parasites access the junctional molecular components either directly, often taking advantage of physiological alterations in epithelial polarity, or indirectly, by delivering into cells molecular factors that destabilise junctional integrity. Importantly, microbial interactions with junctional components are instrumental not only to elucidate mechanisms of invasion, but also to unravel fundamental physiological properties of the epithelial barriers, at the cellular and tissular level.
上皮组织是高度有组织的结构，可保护其下方的组织免受微生物病原体的侵害。上皮形态发生和维持由组织在连接复合体中的细胞间粘附分子介导，如黏着连接。这些复合体的紧密组织及其与细胞因子的相互作用使上皮组织对潜在入侵者具有不可渗透性。然而，病原体已经开发出靶向、相互作用和操纵连接复合体的策略，以破坏或穿过上皮屏障并导致感染。细菌、病毒和寄生虫要么直接利用上皮极性的生理改变来接触连接分子成分，要么通过将破坏连接完整性的分子因子递送到细胞中，从而间接接触连接分子成分。重要的是，微生物与连接成分的相互作用不仅有助于阐明入侵机制，还有助于在细胞和组织水平上揭示上皮屏障的基本生理特性。
