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A cell junction is a structure within a tissue of a multicellular organism. Cell junctions are especially abundant in epithelial tissues. They consist of protein complexes and provide contact between neighbouring cells, between a cell and the extracellular matrix, or they built up the paracellular barrier of epithelia and control the paracellular transport.
In vertebrates, there are three major types of cell junctions:
Invertebrates have several other types of specific junctions, for example Septate junctions or the CeAJ (C. elegans apical junction).
[edit] Cell junction molecules
The molecules responsible for creating cell junctions include various cell adhesion molecules.
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