Our body consists of ~30 trillion cells. These cells need to tightly attach to each other to maintain the integrity of our body. However, we are constantly exposed to mechanical stress, which ...

In pink, wild type cells expressing gamma actin. In black, knock-out cells that do not express gamma actin. The yellowish lines reveal the tortuous nature of the junctions. Our skin and mucous ...

Our bodies and organs are shielded from the external environment by tissue barriers like the skin. These barriers must be tightly sealed to prevent unwanted substances from entering. This sealing is ...

Epithelial tissues are in constant interaction with their environment. Maintaining their functionality requires dynamic balance (homeostasis) and that their cell numbers are tightly regulated. This is ...

Cell-to-cell junctions were visualized by ZO1-GFP, and the dynamics of cell junctions were captured by movies. When the cells indicated by * were spontaneously stretched, a continuous belt of cell ...