claudin family member highly expressed in lung alveolar epithelium, leads to lung enlargement, parenchymal expansion, increased abundance and proliferation of known distal lung progenitors, the alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) cells, activation of Yes-associated protein (YAP), increased organ size, and tumorigenesis in mice

Claudin 10/18 are most commonly expressed in lung adenocarcinomas. Female patients and non-smokers express these claudins more commonly suggesting that they may play a part in the carcinogenesis of tobacco unrelated carcinoma.

High levels of CLDN18 are associated with non-small-cell lung cancer.

suggest that the reduction of CLDN5, 7, and 18 expression loses the suppressive ability of interaction between PDK1 and Akt and causes sustained phosphorylation of Akt, resulting in the disordered proliferation in lung squamous carcinoma cells

In this study, we found downregulation of miR-767-3p and upregulation of CLDN18 in lung adenocarcinoma tissue and cell lines.

Results suggested that a reduction in CLDN18-dependent ZO-2 expression enhances MMP2 expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells, resulting in the promotion of the cell migration.