Junctional adhesion molecules (JAM)-A, -B and -C are cell-cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily which are expressed by a variety of tissues, both during development and in the adult organism. Through their extracellular domains, they interact with other adhesion receptors on opposing cells. Through their cytoplasmic domains, they interact with PDZ domain-containing scaffolding and signaling proteins. In combination, these two properties regulate the assembly of signaling complexes at specific sites of cell-cell adhesion. The multitude of molecular interactions has enabled JAMs to adopt distinct cellular functions such as the regulation of cell-cell contact formation, cell migration, or mitotic spindle orientation. Not surprisingly, JAMs regulate diverse processes such as epithelial and endothelial barrier formation, hemostasis, angiogenesis, hematopoiesis, germ cell development, and the development of the central and peripheral nervous system. This review summarizes the recent progress in the understanding of JAMs, including their characteristic structural features, their molecular interactions, their cellular functions, and their contribution to a multitude of processes during vertebrate development and homeostasis.

中文翻译：

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结粘附分子（JAMs）：在细胞生理学和发育中具有多效功能的细胞粘附受体

结粘附分子（JAM）-A，-B和-C是免疫球蛋白超家族的细胞间粘附分子，在发育过程中和成年生物中均由多种组织表达。通过它们的细胞外结构域，它们与相对细胞上的其他粘附受体相互作用。通过其胞质结构域，它们与包含PDZ结构域的支架和信号蛋白相互作用。结合起来，这两个特性调节信号复合物在细胞-细胞粘附的特定位点的组装。多种分子相互作用使JAM能够采用独特的细胞功能，例如调节细胞间接触形成，细胞迁移或有丝分裂纺锤体定向。毫不奇怪，JAM会调节多种过程，例如上皮和内皮屏障的形成，止血，血管生成，造血，生殖细胞发育以及中枢神经系统和周围神经系统的发育。这篇综述总结了对JAMs理解的最新进展，包括其特征性的结构特征，它们的分子相互作用，它们的细胞功能以及它们在脊椎动物发育和体内平衡过程中对许多过程的贡献。