Fishman G I, Hertzberg E L, Spray D C, Leinwand L A
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y. 10461.
Circ Res. 1991 Mar;68(3):782-7. doi: 10.1161/01.res.68.3.782.
Connexin43 is the predominant gap junction protein expressed in the heart. To determine the relation between cardiac maturation and gap junction gene expression, the developmental profiles of connexin43 mRNA and protein were examined in the rat heart. Connexin43 mRNA levels accumulate progressively (eightfold) during embryonic and early neonatal stages, accompanied by a parallel, but temporally delayed, accumulation of connexin43 protein (15-fold). As the heart matures further, both mRNA and protein levels subsequently decline, to about 50% and 30% of their maximum levels, respectively. These observations suggest that increases in intercellular coupling that characterize cardiac development do not depend solely on modulation of connexin43 gene expression, but rather are likely to involve organization of gap junction channels into the intercalated disc.
连接蛋白43是心脏中表达的主要间隙连接蛋白。为了确定心脏成熟与间隙连接基因表达之间的关系，研究了大鼠心脏中连接蛋白43 mRNA和蛋白质的发育情况。在胚胎期和新生儿早期，连接蛋白43 mRNA水平逐渐积累（增加了八倍），同时连接蛋白43蛋白质也有平行但时间上延迟的积累（增加了15倍）。随着心脏进一步成熟，mRNA和蛋白质水平随后下降，分别降至其最高水平的约50%和30%。这些观察结果表明，心脏发育过程中细胞间偶联增加并非仅取决于连接蛋白43基因表达的调节，而是可能涉及间隙连接通道在闰盘中的组织。
