Juxtacrine Intercellular Signaling: Another Way to Do It

Intercellular interactions in which one cell sends a signal to another cell, inducing a change in function of the second cell, are common in morphogenesis, development, inflammation, and repair of the lung and other organs. In juxtacrine intercellular signaling, the molecule that induces the functional changes in the target cell remains associated with the plasma membrane of the signaling cell, rather than acting in the fluid phase. This feature distinguishes juxtacrine signaling from endocrine and paracrine stimulation and provides a mechanism for strict spatial control of activation of one cell by another. Juxtacrine signaling is likely to be common in physiologic events that require tight regulation, and disruption of juxtacrine signaling may lead to pathologic outcomes. In this minireview, general principles as well as several specific examples of juxtacrine signaling are discussed.