Monaghan P, Moss D
Institute of Cancer Research, Haddow Laboratories, Sutton, Surrey, U.K.
Cell Biol Int. 1996 Feb;20(2):121-5. doi: 10.1006/cbir.1996.0016.
Gap junctional communication plays a vital role in embryogenesis, cell differentiation and the co-ordination of tissue responses. Gap junctions are formed by a family of closely-related proteins called connexins which show tissue-specific patterns of expression. The role of gap junctions in the mammary gland remains unclear. The lumena of mammary gland ducts are lined by luminal cells with an outer layer of basal cells. In rodents, the luminal cells express connexin26 only during pregnancy and lactation and the basal cells, in some reports, express connexin43. In the normal human breast the basal cells express connexin43, although human mammary epithelial cells in vitro have been reported to express both connexin26 and connexin43. Analysis of connexin expression at the molecular level is now bringing new insights into the structure and function of gap junctions in a range of normal and pathological cell systems.
间隙连接通讯在胚胎发育、细胞分化以及组织反应的协调过程中发挥着至关重要的作用。间隙连接由一组名为连接蛋白的密切相关蛋白质构成，这些蛋白质呈现出组织特异性的表达模式。间隙连接在乳腺中的作用仍不明确。乳腺导管的管腔由腔面细胞内衬，外层为基底细胞。在啮齿动物中，腔面细胞仅在妊娠和哺乳期表达连接蛋白26，而在一些报道中，基底细胞表达连接蛋白43。在正常人类乳腺中，基底细胞表达连接蛋白43，尽管有报道称体外培养的人乳腺上皮细胞同时表达连接蛋白26和连接蛋白43。目前，在分子水平上对连接蛋白表达的分析为一系列正常和病理细胞系统中间隙连接的结构和功能带来了新的见解。
