Gap Junction Messenger RNA Expression by Vascular Wall Cells

Gap junctions between vessel wall cells provide a pathway for the intercellular exchange of ions and small molecules. Pure cultures of microvascular and macrovascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, vascular pericytes, and several nonvascular cell lines were tested for junctional communication...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Circulation research 1990-04, Vol.66 (4), p.1074-1080
Main Authors: Larson, David M, Haudenschild, Christian C, Beyer, Eric C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Blood Vessels - cytology
Blood Vessels - metabolism
Blood vessels and receptors
Blotting, Northern
Cattle
Cells, Cultured
Coloring Agents
Connexins
Dextrans
Fluorescent Dyes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Intercellular Junctions - metabolism
Isoquinolines
Rats
Rhodamines
RNA, Messenger - metabolism
Species Specificity
Swine
Vertebrates: cardiovascular system
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Summary:Gap junctions between vessel wall cells provide a pathway for the intercellular exchange of ions and small molecules. Pure cultures of microvascular and macrovascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells, vascular pericytes, and several nonvascular cell lines were tested for junctional communication by fluorescent dye transfer. All of the vascular wall cells were capable of dye transfer. Since gap junctions are formed by a family of related proteins (connexins) whose unique domains may confer physiological regulatory properties, we tested total RNA from these cultures by Northern blot analysis for expression of the currently available, characterized, and cloned mammalian gap junction proteinsconnexin26, connexin32, and connexin43. All of the vascular wall cells expressed connexin43 messenger RNA. Connexin43 was expressed in vascular cells from bovine, porcine, rat, and human sources. Several nonvascular cell lines of mesenchymal origin also expressed connexin43 messenger RNA. When high stringency Northern blots were used, messenger RNAs for connexin32 or connexin26 were not detected in any of the vascular wall cells but were expressed in several cell lines of epithelial origin. Freshly isolated and purified aortic endothelial and smooth muscle RNA preparations similarly contained only connexin43 messenger RNA, excluding the possibility of culture-induced alterations in gene expression. The expression of connexin43 by all vascular wall cells may provide a mechanism for the functional integration of the vessel wall by gap junctions.
ISSN:0009-7330
1524-4571
DOI:10.1161/01.res.66.4.1074