TJP3
Description
The TJP3 (tight junction protein 3) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 19.
Tight junction protein ZO-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TJP3 gene. TJP3 has been shown to interact with tight junction protein 1.
TJP3, along with its close relatives TJP1 and TJP2, acts as a scaffolding protein within tight junctions (TJs). These junctions, crucial for cell-to-cell adhesion, limit the movement of substances between cells and define distinct membrane domains in epithelial and endothelial cells. TJP3 connects transmembrane proteins like claudins, junctional adhesion molecules, and occludin to the actin cytoskeleton, contributing to TJ stability. It also recruits PATJ to TJs, further strengthening the junctional complex. Notably, TJP3 sequesters cyclin D1 (CCND1) at TJs during mitosis, preventing its degradation and promoting cell cycle progression. TJP3, alongside TJP1 and TJP2, plays a role in retaining and stabilizing the transcription factor DBPA at junctions, but is not involved in its nuclear transport. Interestingly, unlike TJP2, TJP3 is not essential for individual survival, embryonic development, epithelial differentiation, or TJ formation under laboratory conditions.
TJP3 is also known as ZO-3, ZO3.
