Goliger J A, Paul D L
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Dev Dyn. 1994 May;200(1):1-13. doi: 10.1002/aja.1002000102.
To elucidate mechanisms underlying gap junction-mediated intercellular communication in epidermal keratinocytes, we have examined the expression of four connexin genes, Cx26, Cx31.1, Cx37, and Cx43, in fetal (embryonic day 17-18), newborn (post-natal day 0), and mature rat skin. Northern analyses of total skin RNA showed that levels of Cx26, Cx37, and Cx43 mRNAs remained relatively constant throughout the three developmental stages examined, whereas Cx31.1 mRNA was 15-30 times more abundant in mature skin than in fetal skin. Antibodies specifically recognizing these connexin proteins were then used in conjunction with a recently described amplification technique to immunohistochemically stain sections of paraffin embedded rat tail epidermis. We show that Cx26, Cx31.1, Cx37, and Cx43 display overlapping but distinct patterns of expression within the keratinocyte cell layers of developing and mature epidermis.
为阐明表皮角质形成细胞中缝隙连接介导的细胞间通讯的潜在机制，我们检测了四种连接蛋白基因Cx26、Cx31.1、Cx37和Cx43在胎儿（胚胎第17 - 18天）、新生大鼠（出生后第0天）和成年大鼠皮肤中的表达情况。对全皮肤RNA进行的Northern分析表明，在所检测的三个发育阶段中，Cx26、Cx37和Cx43 mRNA的水平相对保持恒定，而Cx31.1 mRNA在成年皮肤中的丰度比胎儿皮肤中高15 - 30倍。然后，将特异性识别这些连接蛋白的抗体与最近描述的一种扩增技术结合使用，对石蜡包埋的大鼠尾部表皮切片进行免疫组织化学染色。我们发现，Cx26、Cx31.1、Cx37和Cx43在发育中和成熟表皮的角质形成细胞层中呈现出重叠但不同的表达模式。
