Rho Flares Repair Local Tight Junction Leaks (Developmental Cell)

Epithelial barrier function is critical for normal organ function. Stephenson et al. present a barrier assay capable of detecting transient breaches of the epithelial barrier with high spatial and temporal resolution. Additionally, they find that Rho flares promote actomyosin-mediated junction contraction, which rapidly repairs transient leaks to maintain barrier integrity.