A composition and method for enhancing paracellular transport across cell
layers in an animal comprising an antisense oligonucleotide hybridizable
with a region of the messenger RNA coding for the protein occludin which,
when hybridized to the occludin mRNA, interferes with its translation such
that occludin function is disrupted and paracellular permeability is
increased across an epithelial cell layer or and endothelial cell layer in
an animal.