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Membrane asymmetry in epithelia: is the tight junction a barrier to diffusion in the plasma membrane?

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Abstract

Membrane-bound lectins and some lipid probes are incapable of passing through the tight junction region of epithelial cell membranes. The lectins are immobile on the cell surf ace, but lipid probes diffuse freely in the membrane. The ability of a lipid probe to pass the tight junction is correlated with its ability to ‘flip-flop’ to the inner monolayer of the cell membrane bilayer

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Author notes

  1. Paul R. Dragsten

    Present address: Procter and Gamble Co., PO Box 39175, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45247, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section on Membrane Structure and Function, LTB, DCBD, National Cancer Institute and ‡Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Metabolism, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20205, USA

    Paul R. Dragsten & Robert Blumenthal

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  1. Paul R. Dragsten
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  2. Robert Blumenthal
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  3. Joseph S. Handler
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Dragsten, P., Blumenthal, R. & Handler, J. Membrane asymmetry in epithelia: is the tight junction a barrier to diffusion in the plasma membrane?. Nature 294, 718–722 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294718a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294718a0

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