Ebnet Klaus, Gerke Volker
Institute-Associated Research Group: Cell Adhesion and Cell Polarity, Institute of Medical Biochemistry, ZMBE, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Center (IZKF), University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022 Jul 4;10:948013. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.948013. eCollection 2022.
Membrane polarity, defined as the asymmetric distribution of lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane, is a critical prerequisite for the development of multicellular tissues, such as epithelia and endothelia. Membrane polarity is regulated by polarized trafficking of membrane components to specific membrane domains and requires the presence of intramembrane diffusion barriers that prevent the intermixing of asymmetrically distributed membrane components. This intramembrane diffusion barrier is localized at the tight junctions (TJs) in these cells. Both the formation of cell-cell junctions and the polarized traffic of membrane proteins and lipids are regulated by Rho and Rab family small GTPases. In this review article, we will summarize the recent developments in the regulation of apico-basal membrane polarity by polarized membrane traffic and the formation of the intramembrane diffusion barrier in epithelial cells with a particular focus on the role of Rho and Rab family small GTPases.
膜极性被定义为质膜中脂质和蛋白质的不对称分布，是上皮和内皮等多细胞组织发育的关键前提。膜极性通过膜成分向特定膜结构域的极化运输来调节，并且需要存在防止不对称分布的膜成分相互混合的膜内扩散屏障。这种膜内扩散屏障定位于这些细胞的紧密连接（TJ）处。细胞间连接的形成以及膜蛋白和脂质的极化运输均受Rho和Rab家族小GTP酶的调节。在这篇综述文章中，我们将总结极化膜运输对上皮细胞顶-基膜极性调节以及膜内扩散屏障形成方面的最新进展，特别关注Rho和Rab家族小GTP酶的作用。
