Epithelial and endothelial tight junctions act as a rate-limiting barrier between an organism
and its environment. Continuing studies have highlighted the regulation of the tight junction
barrier by cytokines. Elucidation of this interplay is vital for both the understanding of
physiological tight junction regulation and the etiology of pathological conditions. This
review will focus on recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of
tight junctions modulation by cytokines.