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Description

Occludin is a 65-kDa integral plasma-membrane protein located at the tight junctions. It is required for cytokine-induced regulation of the tight junction paracellular permeability barrier. Occludin is believed to prevent the transport of macromolecules through the tight junction. Encoded by the OLCN gene, occludin spans the plasma membrane four times, forming two extracellular loops and exposing its NH2 and COOH terminus to the cytosol. This cytoplasmic tail binds directly to the ZO family of proteins, which link the protein complex to the actin cytoskeleton. Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation plays a major role in regulation of occludin and tight junctions. Expression of occludin is required for infection of liver cells by hepatitis C virus (HCV).