Abstract
Membrane-bound lectins and some lipid probes are incapable of passing through the tight junction region of epithelial cell membranes. The lectins are immobile on the cell surf ace, but lipid probes diffuse freely in the membrane. The ability of a lipid probe to pass the tight junction is correlated with its ability to ‘flip-flop’ to the inner monolayer of the cell membrane bilayer
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Dragsten, P., Blumenthal, R. & Handler, J. Membrane asymmetry in epithelia: is the tight junction a barrier to diffusion in the plasma membrane?. Nature 294, 718–722 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294718a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294718a0
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