▪ Abstract The polarized architecture of epithelial cells and tissues is a fundamental
determinant of animal anatomy and physiology. Recent progress made in the genetic and
molecular analysis of epithelial polarity and cellular junctions in Drosophila has led to the
most detailed understanding of these processes in a whole animal model system to date.
Asymmetry of the plasma membrane and the differentiation of membrane domains and
cellular junctions are controlled by protein complexes that assemble around transmembrane …