Connexins and pannexins in liver damage
نویسندگان
چکیده
Connexins and pannexins are key players in the control of cellular communication and thus in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Inherent to this function these proteins are frequently involved in pathological processes. The present paper reviews the role of connexins and pannexins in liver toxicity and disease. As they act both as sensors and effectors in these deleterious events connexins and pannexins could represent a set of novel clinical diagnostic biomarkers and drug targets.
منابع مشابه
What is hidden in the pannexin treasure trove: the sneak peek and the guesswork
Connexins had been considered to be the only class of the vertebrate proteins capable of gap junction formation; however, new candidates for this function with no homology to connexins, termed pannexins were discovered. So far three pannexins were described in rodent and human genomes: Panx1, Panx2 and Panx3. Expressions of pannexins can be detected in numerous brain structures, and now found b...
متن کاملConnexins and Pannexins: New Insights into Microglial Functions and Dysfunctions
Under physiological conditions, microglia adopt a resting phenotype associated with the production of anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic factors. In response to a wide variety of insults, these cells shift to an activated phenotype that is necessary for the proper restoration of brain homeostasis. However, when the intensity of a threat is relatively high, microglial activation worsens the prog...
متن کاملPannexin-1 as a potentiator of ligand-gated receptor signaling
Pannexins are a class of plasma membrane spanning proteins that presumably form a hexameric, non-selective ion channel. Although similar in secondary structure to the connexins, pannexins notably do not form endogenous gap junctions and act as bona fide ion channels. The pannexins have been primarily studied as ATP-release channels, but the overall diversity of their functions is still being el...
متن کاملEvolution of gap junction proteins--the pannexin alternative.
Gap junctions provide one of the most common forms of intercellular communication. They are composed of membrane proteins that form a channel that is permeable to ions and small molecules, connecting the cytoplasm of adjacent cells. Gap junctions serve similar functions in all multicellular animals (Metazoa). Two unrelated protein families are involved in this function; connexins, which are fou...
متن کاملMind the gap! Connexins and pannexins in physiology, pharmacology and disease
Among other aspects it is the communication which makes the difference between a crowd of individuals and a society. Similarly, a key feature of an organism or of organs is the communication between their individual cells realized by mediators, hormones, and by direct intercellular communication via gap junction channels allowing the transmission of electrical signals and the exchange of small ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره 15 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2016