Epithelial cells form highly organized polarized sheets with characteristic cell morphologies and tissue architecture. Cell-cell adhesion and intercellular communication are prerequisites of such cohesive sheets of cells, and cell connectivity is mediated through several junctional assemblies, namely desmosomes, adherens, tight and gap junctions. These cell-cell junctions form signalling hubs that not only mediate cell-cell adhesion but impact on multiple aspects of cell behaviour, helping to coordinate epithelial cell shape, polarity and function. This review will focus on the tight and adherens junctions, constituents of the apical junctional complex, and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the complex signalling that underlies junction assembly, integrity and plasticity.

中文翻译：

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顶端连接复合体的多种调节。

上皮细胞形成具有特征细胞形态和组织结构的高度有组织的极化片。细胞-细胞粘附和细胞间通讯是这种有凝聚力的细胞片的先决条件，细胞连接是通过几个连接组装体介导的，即桥粒、粘附体、紧密连接和间隙连接。这些细胞-细胞连接形成信号枢纽，不仅介导细胞-细胞粘附，而且影响细胞行为的多个方面，有助于协调上皮细胞的形状、极性和功能。本综述将重点关注紧密连接和粘附连接，即顶端连接复合体的成分，旨在全面概述连接组装、完整性和可塑性基础的复杂信号。