ArticleBiology of reproduction2011
Structure and function of intercellular junctions in human cervical and vaginal mucosal epithelia.
Article in Biology of reproduction, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 119 papers.
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Who cites it
119 citing papers in PubMed, 186 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is associated with impaired cervicovaginal mucosal integrity.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2018Trial
- MABGEL 1: first phase 1 trial of the anti-HIV-1 monoclonal antibodies 2F5, 4E10 and 2G12 as a vaginal microbicide.PloS one · 2014Trial
- Trial
- In vitro metal leaching from tampons under simulated vaginal and menstrual pH conditions.AJOG global reports · 2026Article
- Comparison of diestrus duration and temporal gene expression patterns in vaginal smear samples from pseudopregnant rats induced by sonic vibration or mating with vasectomized males.Laboratory animal research · 2026Article
- Recombinant Amuc_1100 from Akkermansia muciniphila modulates tight junction-associated protein in vaginal epithelial cells.Archives of microbiology · 2026Article
- An organotypic ectocervix mucosa model to study host-pathogen interaction of sexually transmitted infections.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Determining Critical Physiological and Drug Specific Parameters for Enhancing a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetics Model for the Female Reproductive Tract.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Beyond the Barrier: Epithelial Cells as Immune Sentinels in the Female Genital Tract.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Anaerobe-Driven Inflammation and Epithelial Barrier Disruption in Genital HIV Acquisition.American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989) · 2026Review
- Protective effects ofJournal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Article
- Characterization of Monomeric and Dimeric Forms of the Lectin TFF1 in the Human Vagina: Possible Role for the Innate Immune Defence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Female Reproductive Tract Organ-on-Chips: Modeling Barrier Function and Drug Transport.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Mucosal administration of lipid nanoparticles containing self-amplifying mRNA induces local uptake and expression in a pig model as a potential vaccination platform against STIs.Drug delivery and translational research · 2026Article
- The vital role of Lactobacillus sp. in vaginal health: Implications for enhanced prophylactic research.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- The cervicovaginal microbiome associates with spatially restricted host transcriptional signatures throughout the human ectocervical epithelium and submucosa.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Article
- The cell-surface serine protease prostasin is lost during cervical squamous cell carcinogenesis.Human cell · 2025Article
- Article
59 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The mucosal epithelium is a major portal for microbial invasion. Mucosal barrier integrity is maintained by the physical interactions of intercellular junctional molecules on opposing epithelial cells. The epithelial mucosa in the female reproductive tract provides the first line of defense against sexually transmitted pathogenic bacteria and viruses, but little is known concerning the structure and molecular composition of epithelial junctions at this site. In the present study, the distribution of tight, adherens, and desmosomal junctions were imaged in the human endocervix (columnar epithelium) and ectocervix (stratified squamous epithelium) by electron microscopy, and permeability was assessed by tracking the penetration of fluorescent immunoglobulin G (IgG). To further define the molecular structure of the intercellular junctions, select junctional molecules were localized in the endocervical, ectocervical, and vaginal epithelium by fluorescent immunohistology. The columnar epithelial cells of the endocervix were joined by tight junctions that excluded apically applied fluorescent IgG. In contrast, the most apical layers of the ectocervical stratified squamous epithelium did not contain classical cell-cell adhesions and were permeable to IgG. The suprabasal and basal epithelial layers in ectocervical and vaginal tissue contained the most robust adhesions; molecules characteristic of exclusionary junctions were detected three to four cellular layers below the luminal surface and extended to the basement membrane. These data indicate that the uppermost epithelial layers of the ectocervix and vagina constitute a unique microenvironment; their lack of tight junctions and permeability to large-molecular-weight immunological mediators suggest that this region is an important battlefront in host defense against microbial pathogens.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.