Fernández-García Pablo, Villarroya Francesc, Sánchez-Infantes David, Corrales Patricia
Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Basic Health Sciences, Campus Alcorcón, Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), 28922 Alcorcón, Spain.
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
Nutrients. 2025 Aug 12;17(16):2611. doi: 10.3390/nu17162611.
Obesity is one of the most challenging metabolic disorders affecting more than 800 million people around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In recent years, our knowledge and understanding of this multifactorial disease have been exponentially increasing, and many studies have been focusing on one of the main organs affected by obesity: adipose tissue (AT). It is known that AT undergoes remodeling due to the abnormal fat accumulation that accompanies obesity, characterized by increased immune cell infiltration, extracellular matrix (ECM) overproduction, and decreased adipogenesis, among others. Few studies have focused on adipocyte intercommunication, even though it is essential for AT homeostasis and function. In this context, GAP junction, adherens junction, and tight junction proteins can be found in these depots. In some cases, their function is well established, but in most cases it remains unknown. Claudins are the main proteins that form tight junctions (TJs), and, in recent years, studies have revealed a more extensive role of claudin proteins in intracellular signaling and control of a wide set of biological processes. This review aims to gather the main scientific evidence on the role of claudins in cell signaling, as well as what is known about these proteins in the field of obesity and adipose tissue physiology.
据世界卫生组织（WHO）称，肥胖是最具挑战性的代谢紊乱之一，全球有超过8亿人受其影响。近年来，我们对这种多因素疾病的认识和理解呈指数级增长，许多研究都聚焦于受肥胖影响的主要器官之一：脂肪组织（AT）。众所周知，由于肥胖伴随的异常脂肪堆积，脂肪组织会发生重塑，其特征包括免疫细胞浸润增加、细胞外基质（ECM）过度产生以及脂肪生成减少等。尽管脂肪细胞间通讯对于脂肪组织的稳态和功能至关重要，但很少有研究关注这方面。在这种情况下，缝隙连接、黏附连接和紧密连接蛋白可在这些储存部位被发现。在某些情况下，它们的功能已得到充分证实，但在大多数情况下仍不清楚。紧密连接蛋白（Claudins）是形成紧密连接（TJs）的主要蛋白质，近年来，研究揭示了紧密连接蛋白在细胞内信号传导以及广泛的生物过程控制中发挥着更广泛的作用。本综述旨在收集关于紧密连接蛋白在细胞信号传导中的作用以及在肥胖和脂肪组织生理学领域对这些蛋白质的已知信息的主要科学证据。
