Following iinduction of apoptosis in epithelial cells, tight junction are disrupted. Tight junction proteins, including the the transmembrane protein occludin and the cytoplasmic adaptor proteins ZO-1 and ZO-2 are fragmented by caspase cleavage (Bojarski et al., 2004). Inhibition of caspase-3 prevents cleavage of occludin, implicating caspase-3 as the responsible endopeptidase (Bojarski et al. 2004).
Bojarski, C, Weiske, J, Schöneberg, T, Schröder, W, Mankertz, J, Schulzke, JD, Florian, P, Fromm, M, Tauber, R, Huber, O
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