Anillin tunes contractility and regulates barrier function during Rho flare-mediated tight junction remodeling.

To preserve barrier function, cell-cell junctions must dynamically remodel during cell shape changes. We have previously described a rapid tight junction repair pathway characterized by local, transient activation of RhoA, termed 'Rho flares,' which repair leaks in tight junctions via promoting local actomyosin-mediated junction remodeling. In this pathway, junction elongation is a mechanical trigger that initiates RhoA activation through an influx of intracellular calcium and recruitment of p115RhoGEF.