Yang Jun, Ichikawa Akira, Tsuchiya Toshie
Division of Medical Devices, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 158-8501, Japan.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Jul 18;307(1):80-5. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(03)01117-3.
Connexin 32 (Cx32) is the main gap junction protein in hepatocytes and plays an important role in the regulation of signal transfer and growth control in the liver by constructing gap junction channels and gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). In this study, the human Cx32 gene was transfected into a hepatoma cell line (HepG2) that showed aberrant expression of Cx32 and was deficient in GJIC. Cx32-transfected HepG2 not only expressed a higher level of Cx32 mRNA, but also showed increased GJIC compared with HepG2 and vector-transfected HepG2. Furthermore, the liver functions of ammonia removal and albumin secretion of HepG2 were markedly enhanced with Cx32 gene transfection. It may be expected to improve the cellular functions of the hepatoma cell line by Cx32 gene transfection and serve to develop an efficacious bioartificial liver.
连接蛋白32（Cx32）是肝细胞中的主要间隙连接蛋白，通过构建间隙连接通道和间隙连接细胞间通讯（GJIC），在肝脏信号传递调节和生长控制中发挥重要作用。在本研究中，将人Cx32基因转染到一种肝癌细胞系（HepG2）中，该细胞系Cx32表达异常且缺乏GJIC。与HepG2和载体转染的HepG2相比，转染Cx32的HepG2不仅Cx32 mRNA表达水平更高，而且GJIC增加。此外，Cx32基因转染显著增强了HepG2的氨清除和白蛋白分泌肝功能。通过Cx32基因转染有望改善肝癌细胞系的细胞功能，并有助于开发有效的生物人工肝。
