Claudin 15 (CLDN15)

Claudin-15is a member of the claudin family. Claudins are integral membrane proteins and components of tight junction strands. Tight junction strands serve as a physical barrier to prevent solutes and water from passing freely through the paracellular space between epithelial or endothelial cell sheets, and also play critical roles in maintaining cell polarity and signal transductions. Members of the claudin protein family are key regulators of tight junction selectivity and are implicated in influencing development and cellular differentiation in the intestine and other tissues. Immunofluorescent localization was performed for claudins 1–5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18. Transcripts for claudins 1–5, 7–13, 17, and 18 were all detected in adult intestine, although their relative abundance differed up to 1000-fold within individual segments.