Wu Qirou, Zhao Tiejun, Xu Pinglong
Key Laboratory of Novel Targets and Drug Study for Neural Repair of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, China.
Institute of Intelligent Medicine, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 May 22;16:1594015. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1594015. eCollection 2025.
Innate immunity comprises intricate cellular and tissue responses critical for host defense and tissue homeostasis. Intercellular communication is central to these responses and significantly influences infection, inflammatory disorders, and cancer. Connexins form hemichannels, gap junctions, and connexosomes to mediate signaling molecule transfer, including nucleotide derivatives, ions, antigens, and mitochondria, which occur between adjacent cells or between cells and their microenvironments. By modulating intercellular communication, connexins regulate various immune cell functions and contribute significantly to the coordination of innate immunity. This review summarizes recent insights into connexin-mediated innate immune networks and their implications in pathological contexts such as viral infections, inflammation, and tumorigenesis. Additionally, we discuss targeting connexins as an emerging pharmacological strategy for clinical intervention.
固有免疫包括对宿主防御和组织稳态至关重要的复杂细胞和组织反应。细胞间通讯是这些反应的核心，并显著影响感染、炎症性疾病和癌症。连接蛋白形成半通道、间隙连接和连接小体，以介导信号分子的转移，包括核苷酸衍生物、离子、抗原和线粒体，这些信号分子在相邻细胞之间或细胞与其微环境之间传递。通过调节细胞间通讯，连接蛋白调节各种免疫细胞功能，并对固有免疫的协调做出重大贡献。本综述总结了对连接蛋白介导的固有免疫网络及其在病毒感染、炎症和肿瘤发生等病理情况下的影响的最新见解。此外，我们还讨论了将连接蛋白作为一种新兴的临床干预药理学策略的靶向治疗。
