Cell-cell junctions in the cochlea are highly complex and well organized. The role of these junctions is to maintain structural and functional integrity of the cochlea. In this review, we describe classification of cell junction-associated proteins identified within the cochlea and provide a brief overview of the function of these proteins in adherent junctions, gap junctions and tight junctions.
Cell-cell junctions in the cochlea are highly complex and well organized. The role of these junctions is to maintain structural and functional integrity of the cochlea. In this review, we describe classification of cell junction-associated proteins identified within the cochlea and provide a brief overview of the function of these proteins in adherent junctions, gap junctions and tight junctions. Copyright ? 2016, PLA General Hospital Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. Production and hosting by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).