The connexins form a family of membrane spanning proteins that assemble into gap junction channels. The biophysical properties of these channels are dependent upon the constituent connexin isoform. To begin identifying the molecular basis for gap junction channel behavior in the human heart, a tissue that expresses connexin43, we used site-directed mutagenesis to generate mutant cDNAs of human ...

The synaptophysins and connexins are polytopic transmembrane proteins of similar secondary structure that accumulate as multiple homo-oligomers in specialized membrane regions, the presynaptic transmitter vesicles or gap junctions. Transfection and expression of the respective genes in cultured epithelial cells results in the de novo formation of either small cytoplasmic, synaptophysin-rich ves...

Polypeptide present in various cell fractions obtained from homogenized maize mesocotyls were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblotted, and screened for cross-reactivity with antibodies against three synthetic polypeptides spanning different regions of the rat heart gap junctional protein connexin43 and the whole mouse liver gap junctional protein co...

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 g...

A small family with sensorimotor neuropathy of dominant inheritance was examined. All three affected members were female. They had unusually severe symptoms and pronounced reduction of motor nerve conduction velocities with absent sensory nerve action potentials. Molecular genetic analysis disclosed a missense mutation in the connexin32 gene in codon 15 (Arg15Trp) which predicts the replacement...