Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3
CHAPTER
Junctional Adhesion Molecules (JAMs)
Klaus Ebnet
1,*
, Volker Gerke
2
and Michel Aurrand-Lions
3
1
Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Center of Molecular Biology of Infl ammation
(ZMBE), University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56,
D-48149 Münster, GERMANY, E-mail:
ebnetk@uni-muenster.de
2
Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Center of Molecular Biology of Infl ammation
(ZMBE), University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56,
D-48149 Münster, GERMANY, E-mail:
gerke@uni-muenster.de
3
UMR891, Inserm, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille,
Institut Paoli-Calmettes, 27, bd Leï Roure, F-13009 Marseille, FRANCE
E-mail:
Michel.Aurrand-Lions@inserm.fr
Departmental Contact
: Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Center of Molecular
Biology of Infl ammation (ZMBE), University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56,
D-48149 Münster, GERMANY, E-mail:
hentrey@uni-muenster.de
ABSTRACT
Junctional adhesion molecules (JAMs) comprise a small family of immunoglobulin-
like adhesion molecules. JAMs were originally identii ed in leukocytes, endothelial
and epithelial cells, and their main function has been considered to be regulation
of cell-cell interactions during inl ammation. Meanwhile, the diversity of cell
types that express JAMs has increased, and JAMs have been found on cells of
the reproductive system, on cells of the nervous system, on i broblasts and on
stem cells. In addition, a number of extracellular ligands as well as intracellular
binding partners were identii ed. Two major functions can be attributed to JAMs:
(1) the regulation of vascular inl ammation by mediating transient interactions of
immune cells with endothelial cells and (2) the regulation of cellular polarization
by mediating the targeting of cytoplasmic proteins to specii c sites of cell-cell
adhesion. h rough the latter activity, JAMs are involved in processes such as the
