Cleavage of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of occludin during apoptosis generates a fragment that can no longer associate with the cytoplasmic adapter proteins ZO-1, -2 and -3 and, as a consequence, with the actin cytoskeleton (Bojarski et al., 2003). Cleavage of ZO-1 and ZO-2 further disrupts tight junction structure and function. Notably, claudins, which are associated with ZO-1, ZO-2 and ZO-3, completely lose their linkage to the actin cytoskeleton and other ZO-1-, ZO-2-, ZO-3-interacting proteins (Bojarski et al., 2003). Caspase-3 was found to be responsible for TJP1 (ZO-1) cleavage in both dog and mouse cells (Chin et al. 2006, Zehendner et al. 2011).
Fromm, M, Mankertz, J, Weiske, J, Florian, P, Tauber, R, Schulzke, JD, Schröder, W, Bojarski, C, Huber, O, Schöneberg, T
cysteine-type endopeptidase activity of Caspase-3 [cytosol]
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