Electrical coupling between cells of higher plants: A direct demonstration of intercellular communication

Planta ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Spanswick
Keyword(s):  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Direct Demonstration

scholarly journals Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans induce gap junction synthesis and function in primary liver cultures.

1987 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 541-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Spray ◽  
M Fujita ◽  
J C Saez ◽  
H Choi ◽  
T Watanabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Sulfated Polysaccharides ◽  
Sulfate Proteoglycan ◽  
Dye Coupling ◽  
Junction Protein ◽  
Gap Junction Protein ◽  
In Cells

Intercellular communication via gap junctions, as measured by dye and electrical coupling, disappears within 12 h in primary rat hepatocytes cultured in serum-supplemented media or within 24 h in cells in a serum-free, hormonally defined medium (HDM) designed for hepatocytes. Glucagon and linoleic acid/BSA were the primary factors in the HDM responsible for the extended life span of the electrical coupling. After 24 h of culture, no hormone or growth factor tested could restore the expression of gap junctions. After 4-5 d of culture, the incidence of coupling was undetectable in a serum-supplemented medium and was only 4-5% in HDM alone. However, treatment with glycosaminoglycans or proteoglycans of 24-h cultures, having no detectable gap junction protein, resulted in synthesis of gap junction protein and of reexpression of electrical and dye coupling within 48 h. Most glycosaminoglycans were inactive (heparan sulfates, chondroitin-6 sulfates) or only weakly active (dermatan sulfates, chondroitin 4-sulfates, hyaluronates), the weakly active group increasing the incidence of coupling to 10-30% with the addition of 50-100 micrograms/ml of the factor. Treatment of the cells with 50-100 micrograms/ml of heparins derived from lung or intestine resulted in cells with intermediate levels of coupling (30-50%). By contrast, 10-20 micrograms/ml of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, dermatan sulfate proteoglycan, or liver-derived heparin resulted in dye coupling in 80-100% of the cells, with numerous cells showing dye spread from a single injected cell. Sulfated polysaccharides of glucose (dextran sulfates) or of galactose (carrageenans) were inactive or only weakly active except for lambda-carrageenan, which induced up to 70% coupling (albeit no multiple coupling in the cultures). The abundance of mRNA (Northern blots) encoding gap junction protein and the amounts of the 27-kD gap junction polypeptide (Western blots) correlated with the degree of electrical and dye coupling indicating that the active glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans are inducing synthesis and expression of gap junctions. Thus, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, especially those found in abundance in the extracellular matrix of liver cells, are important in the regulation of expression of gap junctions and, thereby, in the regulation of intercellular communication in the liver. The relative potencies of heparins from different tissue sources at inducing gap junction expression are suggestive of functional tissue specificity for these glycosaminoglycans.

scholarly journals Connexin 36 expression is required for electrical coupling between mouse rods and cones

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
SABRINA ASTERITI ◽  
CLAUDIA GARGINI ◽  
LORENZO CANGIANO
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Wild Type Mouse ◽  
Rod Photoreceptor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Time To Peak ◽  
Connexin 36 ◽  
Direct Demonstration

AbstractRod-cone gap junctions mediate the so-called “secondary rod pathway”, one of three routes that convey rod photoreceptor signals across the retina. Connexin 36 (Cx36) is expressed at these gap junctions, but an unidentified connexin protein also seems to be expressed. Cx36 knockout mice have been used extensively in the quest to dissect the roles in vision of all three pathways, with the assumption, never directly tested, that rod-cone electrical coupling is abolished by deletion of this connexin isoform. We previously showed that when wild type mouse cones couple to rods, their apparent dynamic range is extended toward lower light intensities, with the appearance of large responses to dim flashes (up to several mV) originating in rods. Here we recorded from the cones of Cx36del[LacZ]/del[LacZ] mice and found that dim flashes of the same intensity evoked at most small sub-millivolt responses. Moreover, these residual responses originated in the cones themselves, since: (i) their spectral preference matched that of the recorded cone and not of rods, (ii) their time-to-peak was shorter than in coupled wild type cones, (iii) a pharmacological block of gap junctions did not reduce their amplitude. Taken together, our data show that rod signals are indeed absent in the cones of Cx36 knockout mice. This study is the first direct demonstration that Cx36 is crucial for the assembly of functional rod-cone gap junctional channels, implying that its genetic deletion is a reliable experimental approach to eliminate rod-cone coupling.

Na-K-ATPase regulates intercellular communication in the vascular wall via cSrc kinase-dependent connexin43 phosphorylation

2017 ◽  
Vol 312 (4) ◽  
pp. C385-C397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Hangaard ◽  
Elena V. Bouzinova ◽  
Christian Staehr ◽  
Vibeke S. Dam ◽  
Sukhan Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Tyrosine Phosphorylation ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Arterial Wall ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Vascular Wall ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
A7r5 Cells

Communication between vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is dependent on gap junctions and is regulated by the Na-K-ATPase. The Na-K-ATPase is therefore important for synchronized VSMC oscillatory activity, i.e., vasomotion. The signaling between the Na-K-ATPase and gap junctions is unknown. We tested here the hypothesis that this signaling involves cSrc kinase. Intercellular communication was assessed by membrane capacitance measurements of electrically coupled VSMCs. Vasomotion in isometric myograph, input resistance, and synchronized [Ca2+]i transients were used as readout for intercellular coupling in rat mesenteric small arteries in vitro. Phosphorylation of cSrc kinase and connexin43 (Cx43) were semiquantified by Western blotting. Micromole concentration of ouabain reduced the amplitude of norepinephrine-induced vasomotion and desynchronized Ca2+ transients in VSMC in the arterial wall. Ouabain also increased input resistance in the arterial wall. These effects of ouabain were antagonized by inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation with genistein, PP2, and by an inhibitor of the Na-K-ATPase-dependent cSrc activation, pNaKtide. Moreover, inhibition of cSrc phosphorylation increased vasomotion amplitude and decreased the resistance between cells in the vascular wall. Ouabain inhibited the electrical coupling between A7r5 cells, but pNaKtide restored the electrical coupling. Ouabain increased cSrc autophosphorylation of tyrosine 418 (Y418) required for full catalytic activity whereas pNaKtide antagonized it. This cSrc activation was associated with Cx43 phosphorylation of tyrosine 265 (Y265). Our findings demonstrate that Na-K-ATPase regulates intercellular communication in the vascular wall via cSrc-dependent Cx43 tyrosine phosphorylation.

The α2 isoform of the Na,K-pump is important for intercellular communication, agonist-induced contraction, and EDHF-like response in rat mesenteric arteries

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (1) ◽  
pp. H36-H46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir V. Matchkov ◽  
Nina Moeller-Nielsen ◽  
Vibeke Secher Dam ◽  
Zahra Nourian ◽  
Donna M. Briggs Boedtkjer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Vascular Wall ◽  
Mesenteric Arteries ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Concentration Dependent Manner ◽  
Small Arteries ◽  
Development In Vitro

The specific role of different isoforms of the Na,K-pump in the vascular wall is still under debate. We have previously suggested that the α2 isoform of the Na,K-pump (α2), Na+, Ca2+-exchange (NCX), and connexin43 form a regulatory microdomain in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which controls intercellular communication and contractile properties of the vascular wall. We have tested this hypothesis by downregulating α2 in cultured SMCs and in small arteries with siRNA in vivo. Intercellular communication was assessed by using membrane capacitance measurements. Arteries transfected in vivo were tested for isometric and isobaric force development in vitro; [Ca2+]i was measured simultaneously. Cultured rat SMCs were well-coupled electrically, but 10 μM ouabain uncoupled them. Downregulation of α2 reduced electrical coupling between SMCs and made them insensitive to ouabain. Downregulation of α2 in small arteries was accompanied with significant reduction in NCX expression. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation was not different between the groups, but the endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizing factor-like component of the response was significantly diminished in α2-downregulated arteries. Micromolar ouabain reduced in a concentration-dependent manner the amplitude of norepinephrine (NE)-induced vasomotion. Sixty percent of the α2-downregulated arteries did not have vasomotion, and vasomotion in the remaining 40% was ouabain insensitive. Although ouabain increased the sensitivity to NE in the control arteries, it had no effect on α2-downregulated arteries. In the presence of a low NE concentration the α2-downregulated arteries had higher [Ca2+]i and tone. However, the NE EC50 was reduced under isometric conditions, and maximal contraction was reduced under isometric and isobaric conditions. The latter was caused by a reduced Ca2+-sensitivity. The α2-downregulated arteries also had reduced contraction to vasopressin, whereas the contractile response to high K+ was not affected. Our results demonstrate the importance of α2 for intercellular coupling in the vascular wall and its involvement in the regulation of vascular tone.

scholarly journals Primary Cultures of Chick Osteocytes Retain Functional Gap Junctions between Osteocytes and between Osteocytes and Osteoblasts

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Kamioka ◽  
Yoshihito Ishihara ◽  
Hans Ris ◽  
Sakhr A. Murshid ◽  
Yasuyo Sugawara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Connexin 43 ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Bone Matrix ◽  
Dye Coupling ◽  
Direct Demonstration

The inaccessibility of osteocytes due to their embedment in the calcified bone matrix in vivo has precluded direct demonstration that osteocytes use gap junctions as a means of intercellular communication. In this article, we report successfully isolating primary cultures of osteocytes from chick calvaria, and, using anti-connexin 43 immunocytochemistry, demonstrate gap junction distribution to be comparable to that found in vivo. Next, we demonstrate the functionality of the gap junctions by (1) dye coupling studies that showed the spread of microinjected Lucifer Yellow from osteoblast to osteocyte and between adjacent osteocytes and (2) analysis of fluorescence replacement after photobleaching (FRAP), in which photobleaching of cells loaded with a membrane-permeable dye resulted in rapid recovery of fluorescence into the photobleached osteocyte, within 5 min postbleaching. This FRAP effect did not occur when cells were treated with a gap junction blocker (18α-glycyrrhetinic acid), but replacement of fluorescence into the photobleached cell resumed when it was removed. These studies demonstrate that gap junctions are responsible for intercellular communication between adjacent osteocytes and between osteoblasts and osteocytes. This role is consistent with the ability of osteocytes to respond to and transmit signals over long distances while embedded in a calcified matrix.

Osmolarity reduction transiently increases K+ conductance of confluent rat hepatocytes in primary culture

1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. G913-G919 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Wehner ◽  
G. Beetz ◽  
S. Rosin-Steiner
Keyword(s):  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Rat Hepatocytes ◽  
Membrane Resistance ◽  
Membrane Voltage ◽  
Voltage Response ◽  
High K ◽  
Ion Substitution ◽  
Specific Membrane

Rat hepatocytes in confluent primary cultures were impaled with conventional microelectrodes. Reducing extracellular osmolarity by 80 mosmol/l leads to a transient hyperpolarization of cell membranes (maximum after 5 min) from -40 +/- 4 to -51 +/- 2 mV (n = 7). This hyperpolarization is blocked by 1 mmol/l Ba2+ and 0.5 mmol/l quinine. In ion substitution experiments, increasing K+ 10-fold (from 2.7 to 27 mmol/l) depolarizes membrane voltage by 9 +/- 2 mV in normosmotic solutions. In hyposmotic solutions this depolarization is increased to 20 +/- 1 mV at the time of maximum hyperpolarization and decreases thereafter to 8 +/- 2 mV (n = 4). Cable analysis reveals a transient decrease of specific membrane resistance that exactly parallels the increase in membrane voltage response to high K+. In addition, electrical coupling between cells continuously decreases under hyposmotic conditions, indicating that intercellular communication is affected. Reducing Cl- 100-fold (from 116.5 to 1.2 mmol/l; HCO(3-)-free solutions) depolarizes hepatocytes by 24 +/- 3 mV under normosmotic conditions. In hyposmotic solutions, this effect is increased to 39 +/- 4 mV at maximum hyperpolarization and decreases again to 26 +/- 3 mV (n = 8). This transient increase in the voltage response to Cl- removal is abolished by 0.5 mmol/l quinine (n = 5) and 1 mmol/l Ba2+ (n = 5), suggesting that it is indirect via changes in K+ conductance. This concept is corroborated by ion substitution experiments (HCO(3-)-free conditions), which show that under hyposmotic conditions voltage response to high K+ is considerably decreased in low Cl- solutions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Intercellular communication inAzolla roots: II. Electrical coupling

PROTOPLASMA ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Overall ◽  
B. E. S. Gunning
Keyword(s):  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Electrical Coupling

In vitro and in vivo polysaccharides assembly: ultrastructural and cytochemical study of growing plant cell wall components.

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 434-435
Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cytochemical Study ◽  
Wall Components

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.

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