Claudin-15 strand flexibility and its alteration in mutant strands

Abstract

Tight junction claudins polymerize across two neighboring cell membranes to form a barrier for the transport of ions and small molecules in paracellular space. Functional properties of tight junction strands are dependent on the morphology, density, and composition of these strand networks. Although how claudins self-polymerize into flexible strands is still cloaked in mystery, computational studies have shed some light on the molecular characteristics of this flexibility. We carried out all-atom and hybrid molecular dynamics simulations of claudin-15 strands between 30 and 130 nm in two parallel lipid membranes and revealed that a mutation influencing the claudin subtype-specific structure restricts the architectural flexibility of claudin strands.