Epithelial cells lining the gastrointestinal tract and kidney have different abilities to facilitate
paracellular and transcellular transport of water and solutes. In the kidney, the proximal
tubule allows both transcellular and paracellular transport, while the collecting duct primarily
facilitates transcellular transport. The claudins and E-cadherin are major structural and
functional components regulating paracellular transport. In this study we present the novel
finding that the transmembrane matrix receptors, integrins, play a role in regulating …