Maes Michaël, Decrock Elke, Cogliati Bruno, Oliveira André G, Marques Pedro E, Dagli Maria L Z, Menezes Gustavo B, Mennecier Gregory, Leybaert Luc, Vanhaecke Tamara, Rogiers Vera, Vinken Mathieu
Department of Toxicology, Center for Pharmaceutical Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Brussels, Belgium.
Physiology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
Front Physiol. 2014 Jan 10;4:405. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2013.00405.
The liver was among the first organs in which connexin proteins have been identified. Hepatocytes harbor connexin32 and connexin26, while non-parenchymal liver cells typically express connexin43. Connexins give rise to hemichannels, which dock with counterparts on adjacent cells to form gap junctions. Both hemichannels and gap junctions provide pathways for communication, via paracrine signaling or direct intercellular coupling, respectively. Over the years, hepatocellular gap junctions have been shown to regulate a number of liver-specific functions and to drive liver cell growth. In the last few years, it has become clear that connexin hemichannels are involved in liver cell death, particularly in hepatocyte apoptosis. This also holds true for hemichannels composed of pannexin1, a connexin-like protein recently identified in the liver. Moreover, pannexin1 hemichannels are key players in the regulation of hepatic inflammatory processes. The current paper provides a concise overview of the features of connexins, pannexins and their channels in the liver.
肝脏是最早发现连接蛋白的器官之一。肝细胞含有连接蛋白32和连接蛋白26，而非实质肝细胞通常表达连接蛋白43。连接蛋白形成半通道，半通道与相邻细胞上的对应物对接形成间隙连接。半通道和间隙连接分别通过旁分泌信号传导或直接细胞间偶联提供通讯途径。多年来，肝细胞间隙连接已被证明可调节多种肝脏特异性功能并驱动肝细胞生长。在过去几年中，已明确连接蛋白半通道参与肝细胞死亡，尤其是肝细胞凋亡。这对于由泛连接蛋白1组成的半通道也同样适用，泛连接蛋白1是最近在肝脏中发现的一种类似连接蛋白的蛋白质。此外，泛连接蛋白1半通道是肝脏炎症过程调节中的关键参与者。本文简要概述了肝脏中连接蛋白、泛连接蛋白及其通道的特征。
