BACKGROUND Arrhythmia occurrence is a variable but serious concern of cell therapy for treating heart failure. Using a rat postinfarction chronic heart failure model, we compared skeletal myoblast (SMB) with bone marrow cell (BMC) injection to highlight donor cell-specific, late-phase arrhythmogenesis and the underlying factors. METHODS AND RESULTS SMBs or BMCs derived from male GFP-transgeni...

AIMS More than 40 mutations in the GJA1 gene encoding connexin43 (Cx43) have been linked to oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD), a pleiotropic, autosomal dominant disorder. We hypothesized that even with a significant reduction in the levels of Cx43 in a mutant mouse model of ODDD (Gja1(Jrt/+)) harbouring a G60S mutation (Cx43(G60S)), cardiomyocyte function may only be moderately compromised giv...

BACKGROUND Cardiac metabolism becomes more dependent on carbohydrates in congestive heart failure (CHF), and lactate may be used as an important respiratory substrate. Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) promotes cotransport of lactate and protons into and out of heart cells and conceivably flux of lactate between cells, because it is abundantly present in the intercalated disk. METHODS AND ...

Modulation of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) was studied in a multistep model of human renal epithelial carcinogenesis. We report that the majority of primary human kidney epithelial cells (NHKE) grown from fetal kidney explants did not communicate through gap junctions. Communication could, however, be observed within a subpopulation of the cells. Ni(II)-immortalized cells (...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease. In last years, research community has focused on understanding molecular mechanisms that led to pathogenesis of disease, trying identify different and clinical phenotypes along with discovery new therapeutic opportunities. Different types cell-to-cell communication have been proposed contribute OA progression, including mediated by connexin4...

The aim of the study was to assess distribution connexin43 (Cx43) and connexin40 (Cx40) in human bovine ciliary bodies. effect second messengers cAMP cyclic cGMP on Cx43 protein expression also investigated. Enucleated eyes (remnant after corneal transplantation) were used. Tissue preparations anterior segments have proceeded for immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal antibodies Cx40. Iso...

Oculodentodigital dysplasia, a rare condition displaying congenital craniofacial deformities and limb abnormalities, has been associated with over 20 known human connexin43 (Cx43) mutations. The localization of two of these mutants, G21R and G138R, was examined in Cx43-positive normal rat kidney cells (NRK) and Cx43-negative gap junctional intercellular communication-deficient HeLa cells. Green...