The Zonula Occludens (ZO) proteins 1,2 and 3, also known as tight junction proteins, are peripheral proteins localizing at junctional sites(1). ZO proteins are known to be scaffolding proteins recruiting various types of proteins to the cytoplasmic surface of the junction, thereby contributing to the so called “junctional plaque”. ZO proteins also associate with gap junctions by directly interacting with connexins which points towards a general role of ZO proteins in intercellular adhesion and communication as determined using anti-ZO1 antibodies (2).
IF analysis of ZO1 in human cell line U-2 OS shows positivity in cytoplasm & cell junctions.
Integrity of the tight junction barrier in epithelial and endothelial cells is critical to human health, but a detailed mechanistic knowledge of how the barrier is formed during development or responds to pathological and pharmacological insults. This limits our understanding of barrier dysfunction in disease and slows the development of therapeutic strategies. Recent studies confirm the long-maintained but previously unsupported view that the Zonula occludens (ZO) proteins ZO-1 and ZO-2 are critical determinants of barrier formation. ZO proteins can also be components of adherens junctions, and recent studies suggest that ZO proteins may also promote the assembly and function of these junctions during epithelial morphogenesis suggesting a role for ZO proteins in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics at cell junctions (3). Novus Biologicals offers a wide variety of biological tools in the form of cell lysates, RNAi and anti-ZO1 antibodies for your research needs.
