Tight junctions and the regulation of gene expression

•ZO proteins contain NLS and NES and move between the nucleus and the TJ.•TJ proteins modulate gene transcription by sequestering transcription factors.•ZO proteins block cell proliferation.•TJ proteins inhibit epithelial to mesenchymal transformation pathways.•Claudins regulate the transcription of metalloproteinases. Tight junctions (TJ) regulate the paracellular passage of ions and molecules through the paracellular pathway and maintain plasma membrane polarity in epithelial and endothelial cells. Apart from these canonical functions, several proteins of the TJ have been found in recent years to regulate gene expression. This function is found in proteins that shuttle between the nucleus and TJs, and in integral TJ proteins. In this review, we will describe these proteins and their known mechanisms of gene regulation.