Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
2008 JASN IMPACT FACTOR 7.505 HOME   AUTHOR INFO   EDITORIAL BOARD   SUBSCRIBE   FEEDBACK   ALERTS   HELP 
    advanced
CURRENT ISSUE ARCHIVES JASN Express ONLINE SUBMISSION


Published ahead of print on May 28, 2009
J Am Soc Nephrol 20: 1491-1503, 2009
© 2009 American Society of Nephrology
doi: 10.1681/ASN.2008101117
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental Data
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
ASN.2008101117v1
20/7/1491    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fukasawa, H.
Right arrow Articles by Farquhar, M. G.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fukasawa, H.
Right arrow Articles by Farquhar, M. G.
Related Collections
Right arrowRelated Articles

BASIC RESEARCH

Slit Diaphragms Contain Tight Junction Proteins

Hirotaka Fukasawa, Scott Bornheimer, Krystyna Kudlicka and Marilyn G. Farquhar

Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California

Correspondence: Marilyn G. Farquhar, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0651. Phone: 858-534-7711; Fax: 858-534-8549; E-mail: mfarquhar{at}ucsd.edu

Received for publication October 27, 2008. Accepted for publication February 17, 2009.

Slit diaphragms are essential components of the glomerular filtration apparatus, as changes in these junctions are the hallmark of proteinuric diseases. Slit diaphragms, considered specialized adherens junctions, contain both unique membrane proteins (e.g., nephrin, podocin, and Neph1) and typical adherens junction proteins (e.g., P-cadherin, FAT, and catenins). Whether slit diaphragms also contain tight junction proteins is unknown. Here, immunofluorescence, immunogold labeling, and cell fractionation demonstrated that rat slit diaphragms contain the tight junction proteins JAM-A (junctional adhesion molecule A), occludin, and cingulin. We found these proteins in the same protein complexes as nephrin, podocin, CD2AP, ZO-1, and Neph1 by cosedimentation, coimmunoprecipitation, and pull-down assays. PAN nephrosis increased the protein levels of JAM-A, occludin, cingulin, and ZO-1 several-fold in glomeruli and loosened their attachment to the actin cytoskeleton. These data extend current information about the molecular composition of slit diaphragms by demonstrating the presence of tight junction proteins, although slit diaphragms lack the characteristic morphologic features of tight junctions. The contribution of these proteins to the assembly of slit diaphragms and potential signaling cascades requires further investigation.


Related Articles

This Month's Highlights
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 2009 20: A13. [Full Text] [PDF]

How to Build a Tight but Permeable Glomerular Junction
Sebastian Martini and Matthias Kretzler
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 2009 20: 1420-1421. [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Am. Soc. Nephrol.Home page
S. Martini and M. Kretzler
How to Build a Tight but Permeable Glomerular Junction
J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., July 1, 2009; 20(7): 1420 - 1421.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME CURRENT ISSUE ARCHIVES JASN Express ONLINE SUBMISSION AUTHOR INFO
EDITORIAL BOARD SUBSCRIBE FEEDBACK ALERTS HELP

Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Nephrology. Online ISSN: 1533-3450 Print ISSN: 1046-6673