Gap junction adhesion is necessary for radial migration in the neocortex.
AuthorsElias LA, Wang DD, Kriegstein AR,
JournalNature
PubMed ID17713529
'Radial glia, the neuronal stem cells of the embryonic cerebral cortex, reside deep within the developing brain and extend radial fibres to the pial surface, along which embryonic neurons migrate to reach the cortical plate. Here we show that the gap junction subunits connexin 26 (Cx26) and connexin 43 (Cx43) ... More
The coiled-coil domain of occludin can act to organize structural and functional elements of the epithelial tight junction.
AuthorsNusrat A, Chen JA, Foley CS, Liang TW, Tom J, Cromwell M, Quan C, Mrsny RJ,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID10887180
'Occludin is an integral membrane protein that has been suggested to play a role in the organization and dynamic function of the epithelial tight junction (TJ). A number of other proteins have also been described to localize to the TJ. We have used a novel bait peptide method to investigate ... More
Tanshinone IIA increases the bystander effect of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir gene therapy via enhanced gap junctional intercellular communication.
AuthorsXiao J, Zhang G, Qiu P, Liu X, Wu Y, Du B, Li J, Zhou J, Li J, Tan Y,
Journal
PubMed ID23861780
'The bystander effect is an intriguing phenomenon by which adjacent cells become sensitized to drug treatment during gene therapy with herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-tk/GCV). This effect is reported to be mediated by gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), and therefore, we postulated that upregulation of genes that facilitate GJIC ... More
Connexin 43 controls the multipolar phase of neuronal migration to the cerebral cortex.
AuthorsLiu X, Sun L, Torii M, Rakic P
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID22566616
'The prospective pyramidal neurons, migrating from the proliferative ventricular zone to the overlaying cortical plate, assume multipolar morphology while passing through the transient subventricular zone. Here, we show that this morphogenetic transformation, from the bipolar to the mutipolar and then back to bipolar again, is associated with expression of connexin ... More
Neuronal gap junction coupling is regulated by glutamate and plays critical role in cell death during neuronal injury.
AuthorsWang Y, Song JH, Denisova JV, Park WM, Fontes JD, Belousov AB
JournalJ Neurosci
PubMed ID22238107
'In the mammalian CNS, excessive release of glutamate and overactivation of glutamate receptors are responsible for the secondary (delayed) neuronal death following neuronal injury, including ischemia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and epilepsy. The coupling of neurons by gap junctions (electrical synapses) increases during neuronal injury. We report here that the ... More
Impairment of HERG K(+) channel function by tumor necrosis factor-alpha: role of reactive oxygen species as a mediator.
AuthorsWang J, Wang H, Zhang Y, Gao H, Nattel S, Wang Z,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID14973143
'Congestive heart failure (CHF) is associated with susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias and typically increases levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and its receptor, TNFR1. CHF down-regulates rapid delayed-rectifier K(+) current (I(Kr)) and delays cardiac repolarization. We studied the effects of TNF-alpha on cloned HERG K(+) channel (human ether-a-go-go-related gene) in ... More
Overexpression of cardiac connexin45 increases susceptibility to ventricular tachyarrhythmias in vivo.
AuthorsBetsuyaku T, Nnebe NS, Sundset R, Patibandla S, Krueger CM, Yamada KA,
JournalAm J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol
PubMed ID16126808
Electrophysiological remodeling involving gap junctions has been demonstrated in failing hearts and may contribute to intercellular uncoupling, delayed conduction, enhanced arrhythmias, and vulnerability to sudden death in patients with heart failure. Recently, we showed that failing human hearts exhibit marked increases in connexin45 (Cx45) expression in addition to previously documented ... More
Epidermal growth factor receptor is a common mediator of quinone-induced signaling leading to phosphorylation of connexin-43: role of glutathione and tyrosine phosphatases.
Rat liver epithelial cells were exposed to three quinones with different properties: menadione (2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone, vitamin K3), an alkylating as well as redox-cycling quinone, the strongly alkylating p-benzoquinone (BQ), and the non-arylating redox-cycler, 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (DMNQ). All three quinones induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and ERK 2 via ... More
Functional organization of the bovine rumen epithelium.
AuthorsGraham C, Simmons NL,
JournalAm J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
PubMed ID15319221
The functional organization of the bovine rumen epithelium has been examined by electron and light microscopy combined with immunocytochemistry to define a transport model for this epithelium. Expression of connexin 43, an integral component of gap junctions, the tight-junction molecules claudin-1 and zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), and the catalytic alpha-subunit ... More
ECM-induced gap junctional communication enhances mammary epithelial cell differentiation.
The relationship between gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and mammary cell (CID-9) differentiation in vitro was explored. CID-9 cells differentiate and express beta-casein in an extracellular matrix (ECM)- and hormone-dependent manner. In response to interaction with the ECM, cells in culture modulated the expression of their gap junction proteins at ... More
Coupling of astrocyte connexins Cx26, Cx30, Cx43 to oligodendrocyte Cx29, Cx32, Cx47: Implications from normal and connexin32 knockout mice.
AuthorsNagy JI, Ionescu AV, Lynn BD, Rash JE,
JournalGlia
PubMed ID14603462
Oligodendrocytes in vivo form heterologous gap junctions with astrocytes. These oligodendrocyte/astrocyte (A/O) gap junctions contain multiple connexins (Cx), including Cx26, Cx30, and Cx43 on the astrocyte side, and Cx32, Cx29, and Cx47 on the oligodendrocyte side. We investigated connexin associations at A/O gap junctions on oligodendrocytes in normal and Cx32 ... More
Ultrastructural localization of connexins (Cx36, Cx43, Cx45), glutamate receptors and aquaporin-4 in rodent olfactory mucosa, olfactory nerve and olfactory bulb.
AuthorsRash JE, Davidson KG, Kamasawa N, Yasumura T, Kamasawa M, Zhang C, Michaels R, Restrepo D, Ottersen OP, Olson CO, Nagy JI,
JournalJ Neurocytol
PubMed ID16841170
Odorant/receptor binding and initial olfactory information processing occurs in olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) within the olfactory epithelium. Subsequent information coding involves high-frequency spike synchronization of paired mitral/tufted cell dendrites within olfactory bulb (OB) glomeruli via positive feedback between glutamate receptors and closely-associated gap junctions. With mRNA for connexins Cx36, Cx43 ... More
Connexin expression and gap junctional coupling in human cumulus cells: contribution to embryo quality.
Gap junctional coupling among cumulus cells is important for oogenesis since its deficiency in mice leads to impaired folliculogenesis. Multiple connexins (Cx), the subunits of gap junction channels, have been found within ovarian follicles in several species but little is known about the connexins in human follicles. The aim of ... More
Astroglial connexin immunoreactivity is specifically altered at ß-amyloid plaques in ß-amyloid precursor protein/presenilin1 mice.
AuthorsMei X, Ezan P, Giaume C, Koulakoff A,
JournalNeuroscience
PubMed ID20813165
Activation of astrocytes surrounding amyloid plaques is a hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD) with consequences yet poorly understood. Astrocytes are characterized by a high level of intercellular communication mediated by two gap-junction forming proteins, connexin-43 and connexin-30. As astroglial connexins (Cxs) are involved in neuronal dysfunctions and death, we have ... More
Drebrin, an actin-binding, cell-type characteristic protein: induction and localization in epithelial skin tumors and cultured keratinocytes.
AuthorsPeitsch WK, Hofmann I, Bulkescher J, Hergt M, Spring H, Bleyl U, Goerdt S, Franke WW
JournalJ Invest Dermatol
PubMed ID16185277
Isoform E2 of drebrin, an actin-binding protein originally identified in neuronal cells, has recently been identified in diverse non-neuronal cells, mostly in association with cell processes and intercellular junctions. Here, we report on the presence of drebrin in normal human skin, epithelial skin cancers, and cultured keratinocytes. Keratinocytes of normal ... More
Expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and the transcription factor ZO-1-associated nucleic acid-binding protein (ZONAB)-MsY3 in glial cells and colocalization at oligodendrocyte and astrocyte gap junctions in mouse brain.
AuthorsPenes MC, Li X, Nagy JI
JournalEur J Neurosci
PubMed ID16045494
The PDZ domain-containing protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) interacts with several members of the connexin (Cx) family of gap junction-forming proteins and has been localized to gap junctions, including those containing Cx47 in oligodendrocytes. We now provide evidence for ZO-1 expression in astrocytes in vivo and association with astrocytic connexins by ... More
Identification of gap junctional connexin-32 mRNA and protein in gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons of the female rat.
AuthorsHosny S, Jennes L
JournalNeuroendocrinology
PubMed ID9508040
Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release from the median eminence is critical for the appropriate function of the pituitary gonadotropes and for the generation of a preovulatory gonadotropin surge. The mechanisms by which many GnRH axon terminals are synchronized to release GnRH in a coordinated fashion into the capillaries of the ... More
Limited intravascular coupling in the rodent brainstem and retina supports a role for glia in regional blood flow.
AuthorsKuo IY, Chan-Ling T, Wojcikiewicz RJ, Hill CE
JournalJ Comp Neurol
PubMed ID18925566
Regional synaptic activity induces local increases in perfusion that are coupled to upstream vasodilation and improved blood flow. In the cerebral circulation, it has been proposed that astrocytes mediate the link between the initiating stimulus and local vasodilation through propagated intracellular calcium waves. In the systemic circulation the mechanism by ... More