Intercellular communication in preimplantation development: the role of gap junctions

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. d731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald, M. Kidder
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Preimplantation Development

scholarly journals Gap junctions and connexin hemichannels in the regulation of haemostasis and thrombosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakthivel Vaiyapuri ◽  
Gagan D. Flora ◽  
Jonathan M. Gibbins
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Heart Attack ◽  
Wound Repair ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Tissue Responses ◽  
The Stability ◽  
And Control ◽  
Connexin Hemichannels

Platelets are involved in the maintenance of haemostasis but their inappropriate activation leads to thrombosis, a principal trigger for heart attack and ischaemic stroke. Although platelets circulate in isolation, upon activation they accumulate or aggregate together to form a thrombus, where they function in a co-ordinated manner to prevent loss of blood and control wound repair. Previous report (1) indicates that the stability and functions of a thrombus are maintained through sustained, contact-dependent signalling between platelets. Given the role of gap junctions in the co-ordination of tissue responses, it was hypothesized that gap junctions may be present within a thrombus and mediate intercellular communication between platelets. Therefore studies were performed to explore the presence and functions of connexins in platelets. In this brief review, the roles of hemichannels and gap junctions in the control of thrombosis and haemostasis and the future directions for this research will be discussed.

Role of connexin 43 in different forms of intercellular communication – gap junctions, extracellular vesicles and tunnelling nanotubes

2017 ◽  
Vol 130 (21) ◽  
pp. 3619-3630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa M. Ribeiro-Rodrigues ◽  
Tânia Martins-Marques ◽  
Sandrine Morel ◽  
Brenda R. Kwak ◽  
Henrique Girão
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Connexin 43 ◽  
Communication Gap

scholarly journals Direct Intercellular Communications and Cancer: A Snapshot of the Biological Roles of Connexins in Prostate Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Asencio-Barría ◽  
Norah Defamie ◽  
Juan C. Sáez ◽  
Marc Mesnil ◽  
Alejandro S. Godoy
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Short Range ◽  
Tissue Homeostasis ◽  
Tunneling Nanotubes ◽  
Intercellular Communications ◽  
Precise Role ◽  
Intercellular Network

Tissue homeostasis is the result of a complex intercellular network controlling the behavior of every cell for the survival of the whole organism. In mammalian tissues, cells do communicate via diverse long- and short-range communication mechanisms. While long-range communication involves hormones through blood circulation and neural transmission, short-range communication mechanisms include either paracrine diffusible factors or direct interactions (e.g., gap junctions, intercellular bridges and tunneling nanotubes) or a mixture of both (e.g., exosomes). Tumor growth represents an alteration of tissue homeostasis and could be the consequence of intercellular network disruption. In this network, direct short-range intercellular communication seems to be particularly involved. The first type of these intercellular communications thought to be involved in cancer progression were gap junctions and their protein subunits, the connexins. From these studies came the general assumption that global decreased connexin expression is correlated to tumor progression and increased cell proliferation. However, this assumption appeared more complicated by the fact that connexins may act also as pro-tumorigenic. Then, the concept that direct intercellular communication could be involved in cancer has been expanded to include new forms of intercellular communication such as tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) and exosomes. TNTs are intercellular bridges that allow free exchange of small molecules or even mitochondria depending on the presence of gap junctions. The majority of current research shows that such exchanges promote cancer progression by increasing resistance to hypoxia and chemotherapy. If exosomes are also involved in these mechanisms, more studies are needed to understand their precise role. Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a type of malignancy with one of the highest incidence rates worldwide. The precise role of these types of direct short-range intercellular communication has been considered in the progression of PCa. However, even though data are in favor of connexins playing a key role in PCa progression, a clear understanding of the role of TNTs and exosomes is needed to define their precise role in this malignancy. This review article summarizes the current view of the main mechanisms involved in short-range intercellular communication and their implications in cancer and delves into the biological, predictive and therapeutic role of connexins in PCa.

ROLE OF DIRECT INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION THROUGH GAP JUNCTIONS IN LYMPHOCYTE-MACROPHAGE INTERACTIONS IN VITRO

2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Ernesto Oviedo-Orta ◽  
Sharada Karanam ◽  
Ulrike Benbow ◽  
W Howard Evans ◽  
Andrew C Newby
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Intercellular Communication

Connexin 43 ubiquitination determines the fate of gap junctions: restrict to survive

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa M. Ribeiro-Rodrigues ◽  
Steve Catarino ◽  
Maria J. Pinho ◽  
Paulo Pereira ◽  
Henrique Girao
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Connexin 43 ◽  
Transmembrane Proteins ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Gap Junction Intercellular Communication

Connexins (Cxs) are transmembrane proteins that form channels which allow direct intercellular communication (IC) between neighbouring cells via gap junctions. Mechanisms that modulate the amount of channels at the plasma membrane have emerged as important regulators of IC and their de-regulation has been associated with various diseases. Although Cx-mediated IC can be modulated by different mechanisms, ubiquitination has been described as one of the major post-translational modifications involved in Cx regulation and consequently IC. In this review, we focus on the role of ubiquitin and its effect on gap junction intercellular communication.

IL-1β-induced production of metalloproteinases by synovial cells depends on gap junction conductance

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (6) ◽  
pp. C1254-C1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg V. Kolomytkin ◽  
Andrew A. Marino ◽  
David D. Waddell ◽  
J. Michael Mathis ◽  
Robert E. Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Gap Junction ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Biological Function ◽  
Synovial Cells ◽  
Gap Junction Intercellular Communication ◽  
Dose Dependent Increase ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
Junction Conductance

Synovial cells can form networks connected by gap junctions. The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence for a necessary role of gap junction intercellular communication in protein secretion by synovial cells. We developed a novel assay to measure the enzymatic activity of metalloproteinases (MMPs) produced by synovial cells in response to interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and employed the assay to explore the biological function of gap junctions. IL-1β produced a dose-dependent increase in MMP activity that was blocked by exposure to the gap junction inhibitors 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid and octanol for as few as 50 min. The inhibitors produced an immediate and marked reduction in intercellular communication, as assessed by transient current analysis using the nystatin perforated-patch method. These observations suggest that communication through gap junctions early in IL-1β signal transduction is critical to the process of cytokine-regulated secretion of MMPs by synovial cells.

scholarly journals Connexins and Gap Junctions in Cancer of the Urinary Tract

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Tschernig
Keyword(s):  
Bladder Cancer ◽  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Cancer Progression ◽  
Intercellular Communication ◽  
Urinary Bladder Cancer ◽  
Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gap Junctional

This review focuses on connexins and nexus or gap junctions in the genesis, progression, and therapy of carcinomas of the human urinary tract. Some decades ago, the idea was born that gap junctional intercellular communication might prevent both the onset and the progression of cancer. Later evidence indicated that, on the contrary, synthesis and the presence of connexins as a prerequisite for gap junctional intercellular communication might promote the occurrence of cancer and metastases. The research history of urinary bladder cancer is a good example of the development of scientific perception. So far, the role of gap junctional intercellular communication in carcinogenesis and cancer progression, as well as in therapeutical approaches, remains unclear.

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