Submandibular gland epithelial development and the importance of junctions

ABSTRACT

Salivary glands consist of highly specialized epithelial cells that secrete the fluid, saliva, and/or transport saliva into the oral cavity. Saliva is essential to lubricate the oral cavity for food consumption and to maintain the hygiene of the oral cavity. In this review, we will focus on the formation of the epithelial cell lineage and the cell junctions that are essential for formation of saliva and maintenance of the epithelial barrier between the ducts that transport saliva and the extracellular environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Submandibular gland
• cell junction
• tight junctions
• claudins
• cytodifferentiation
• clefting

Acknowledgments

IRG is supported by an NSERC grant.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.