D'hondt Catheleyne, Ponsaerts Raf, De Smedt Humbert, Bultynck Geert, Himpens Bernard
Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signalling, KULeuven, Campus Gasthuisberg O/N, Leuven, Belgium.
Bioessays. 2009 Sep;31(9):953-74. doi: 10.1002/bies.200800236.
Intercellular communication (IC) is mediated by gap junctions (GJs) and hemichannels, which consist of proteins. This has been particularly well documented for the connexin (Cx) family. Initially, Cxs were thought to be the only proteins capable of GJ formation in vertebrates. About 10 years ago, however, a new GJ-forming protein family related to invertebrate innexins (Inxs) was discovered in vertebrates, and named the pannexin (Panx) family. Panxs, which are structurally similar to Cxs, but evolutionarily distinct, have been shown to be co-expressed with Cxs in vertebrates. Both protein families show distinct properties and have their own particular function. Identification of the mechanisms that control Panx channel gating is a major challenge for future work. In this review, we focus on the specific properties and role of Panxs in normal and pathological conditions.
细胞间通讯（IC）由间隙连接（GJs）和半通道介导，它们由蛋白质组成。这在连接蛋白（Cx）家族中已有特别充分的记录。最初，Cxs被认为是脊椎动物中唯一能够形成GJ的蛋白质。然而，大约10年前，在脊椎动物中发现了一个与无脊椎动物连接蛋白（Inxs）相关的新的形成GJ的蛋白质家族，并将其命名为泛连接蛋白（Panx）家族。Panxs在结构上与Cxs相似，但在进化上不同，已被证明在脊椎动物中与Cxs共表达。这两个蛋白质家族都表现出不同的特性并具有各自特定的功能。确定控制Panx通道门控的机制是未来工作的一项重大挑战。在这篇综述中，我们关注Panxs在正常和病理条件下的特定特性和作用。
