Cell-cell communication beyond connexins: the pannexin channels

Modulation of brain hemichannels and gap junction channels by pro-inflammatory agents and their possible role in neurodegeneration

In normal brain, neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, the most abundant and active cells express pannexins and connexins, protein subunits of two families forming membrane channels. Most available evidence indicates that in mammals endogenously expressed pannexins form only hemichannels and connexins form both gap junction channels and hemichannels. Whereas gap junction channels connect the cytoplasm of contacting cells and coordinate electric and metabolic activity, hemichannels communicate the intra- and extracellular compartments and serve as a diffusional pathway for ions and small molecules. A subthreshold stimulation by acute pathological threatening conditions (e.g., global ischemia subthreshold for cell death) enhances neuronal Cx36 and glial Cx43 hemichannel activity, favoring ATP release and generation of preconditioning. If the stimulus is sufficiently deleterious, microglia become overactivated and release bioactive molecules that increase the activity of hemichannels and reduce gap junctional communication in astroglial networks, depriving neurons of astrocytic protective functions, and further reducing neuronal viability. Continuous glial activation triggered by low levels of anomalous proteins expressed in several neurodegenerative diseases induce glial hemichannel and gap junction channel disorders similar to those of acute inflammatory responses triggered by ischemia or infectious diseases. These changes are likely to occur in diverse cell types of the CNS and contribute to neurodegeneration during inflammatory process.

ATP release through connexin hemichannels and gap junction transfer of second messengers propagate Ca2+ signals across the inner ear

Extracellular ATP controls various signaling systems including propagation of intercellular Ca(2+) signals (ICS). Connexin hemichannels, P2x7 receptors (P2x7Rs), pannexin channels, anion channels, vesicles, and transporters are putative conduits for ATP release, but their involvement in ICS remains controversial. We investigated ICS in cochlear organotypic cultures, in which ATP acts as an IP(3)-generating agonist and evokes Ca(2+) responses that have been linked to noise-induced hearing loss and development of hair cell-afferent synapses. Focal delivery of ATP or photostimulation with caged IP(3) elicited Ca(2+) responses that spread radially to several orders of unstimulated cells. Furthermore, we recorded robust Ca(2+) signals from an ATP biosensor apposed to supporting cells outside the photostimulated area in WT cultures. ICS propagated normally in cultures lacking either P2x7R or pannexin-1 (Px1), as well as in WT cultures exposed to blockers of anion channels. By contrast, Ca(2+) responses failed to propagate in cultures with defective expression of connexin 26 (Cx26) or Cx30. A companion paper demonstrates that, if expression of either Cx26 or Cx30 is blocked, expression of the other is markedly down-regulated in the outer sulcus. Lanthanum, a connexin hemichannel blocker that does not affect gap junction (GJ) channels when applied extracellularly, limited the propagation of Ca(2+) responses to cells adjacent to the photostimulated area. Our results demonstrate that these connexins play a dual crucial role in inner ear Ca(2+) signaling: as hemichannels, they promote ATP release, sustaining long-range ICS propagation; as GJ channels, they allow diffusion of Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messengers across coupled cells.

Gap junctions in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster: localization of innexins 1, 2, 3 and 4 and evidence for intercellular communication via innexin-2 containing channels

Background

In the Drosophila ovary, germ-line and soma cells are interconnected via gap junctions. The main gap-junction proteins in invertebrates are members of the innexin family. In order to reveal the role that innexins play in cell-cell communication during oogenesis, we investigated the localization of innexins 1, 2, 3 and 4 using immunohistochemistry, and analyzed follicle development following channel blockade.

Results

We found innexin 1 predominantly localized to the baso-lateral domain of follicle cells, whereas innexin 2 is positioned apico-laterally as well as apically between follicle cells and germ-line cells. Innexin 3 was observed laterally in follicle cells and also in nurse cells, and innexin 4 was detected in the oolemma up to stage 8 and in nurse-cell membranes up to stage 12. In order to test whether innexins form channels suitable for intercellular communication, we microinjected innexin antibodies in combination with a fluorescent tracer into the oocyte of stage-10 follicles. We found that dye-coupling between oocyte and follicle cells was largely reduced by innexin-2 antibodies directed against the intracellular C-terminus as well as against the intracellular loop. Analyzing in vitro, between stages 10 and 14, the developmental capacities of follicles following microinjections of innexin-2 antibodies revealed defects in follicle-cell differentiation, nurse-cell regression, oocyte growth and choriogenesis.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that all analyzed innexins are involved in the formation of gap junctions in the ovary. While innexins 2 and 3 are colocalized between soma cells, innexins 2 and 4 are colocalized between soma and germ-line cells. Innexin 2 is participating in cell-cell communication via hemichannels residing in the oolemma. It is obvious that gap-junctional communication between germ-line and soma cells is essential for several processes during oogenesis.

Pharmacological characterization of pannexin-1 currents expressed in mammalian cells

Pannexin (Panx) 1 is a widely expressed protein that shares structural, but not amino acid, homology with gap junction proteins, the connexins. Panx1 does not form gap junctions in mammalian cells, but it may function as a plasma membrane hemichannel. Little is known of the pharmacological properties of panx1 expression in mammalian cells. Here, we identify three variants in the human PANX1 gene. We expressed these variants and mouse Panx1 in mammalian cells and compared Panx1-induced currents. All human Panx1 variants and the mouse Panx1 showed identical protein expression levels, localization patterns, and functional properties, although the frequency of functional expression was species-dependent. Panx1 currents were independent of changes in extracellular or intracellular calcium or phospholipase C transduction. We found compounds that inhibited Panx1 currents with a rank order of potency: carbenoxolone > disodium 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS) approximately disodium 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanato-stilben-2,2'-disulfonate approximately 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid > indanyloxyacetic acid 94 >> probenecid >> flufenamic acid = niflumic acid. Triphosphate nucleotides (ATP, GTP, and UTP) rapidly and reversibly inhibited Panx1 currents via mechanism(s) independent of purine receptors. When Panx1 was coexpressed with purinergic P2X(7) receptor (P2X(7)R), DIDS was found to act as a P2X(7)R antagonist to inhibit ATP-evoked currents, but none of the other compounds inhibited P2X(7)R currents. This is the first detailed pharmacological characterization of Panx1-mediated currents in mammalian cells and sheds new, although contradictory, light on the hypothesis that Panx1 acts as a hemichannel to allow passage of large molecules in response to P2X(7)R activation.

Role for nitric oxide in permeability of hippocampal neuronal hemichannels during oxygen glucose deprivation

Increased hemichannel opening induced by oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) was reported in the hippocampal pyramidal neuron. It was suggested that the pannexin1 hemichannel opening could mediate ionic flux dysregulation, anoxic depolarization, and energy-depleting efflux of glucose and ATP for ischemic neurons. However, the regulatory mechanisms of pannexin1 hemichannel opening have been poorly understood. Here we showed that excessive generation of nitric oxide (NO) during ischemia could induce the calcein leakage from neurons, which was markedly reduced by NO synthase inhibitor. The calcein leakage from neurons during OGD was also attenuated by the application of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), an SH-alkylating agent, and dithiothreitol (DTT), a reducer of oxidized sulfhydryl groups. However, the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor had a minor effect on the calcein leakage during OGD. Furthermore, the elevated intracellular but not extracellular levels of glutathione could also inhibit the calcein leakage during OGD. Similar results were observed in metabolic inhibition (MI), which is another ischemic-like condition. Finally, immunocytochemical and immunoblotting analysis revealed that, after 1 hr of OGD stimulation, the distribution and expression of pannexin1 showed no significant difference compared with control. However, the pannexin1 mRNA expression was elevated after 1 hr of OGD and a sustained increase was maintained during reperfusion. These results implied that the reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially NO, might be involved in the enhanced pannexin1 hemichannel opening and that the S-nitrosylation but not the NO/cGMP pathway played a more important role in this event.

Purinergic control of T cell activation by ATP released through pannexin-1 hemichannels

T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation results in the influx of Ca(2+), which is buffered by mitochondria and promotes adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. We found that ATP released from activated T cells through pannexin-1 hemichannels activated purinergic P2X receptors (P2XRs) to sustain mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. P2XR antagonists, such as oxidized ATP (oATP), blunted MAPK activation in stimulated T cells, but did not affect the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells, thus promoting T cell anergy. In vivo administration of oATP blocked the onset of diabetes mediated by anti-islet TCR transgenic T cells and impaired the development of colitogenic T cells in inflammatory bowel disease. Thus, pharmacological inhibition of ATP release and signaling could be beneficial in treating T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.

A proteomic study reveals the diversified distribution of plasma membrane-associated proteins in rat hepatocytes

To investigate the heterogeneous protein composition of highly polarized hepatocyte plasma membrane (PM), three PM-associated subfractions were obtained from freshly isolated rat hepatocytes using density gradient centrifugation. The origins of the three subfractions were determined by morphological analysis and western blotting. The proteins were subjected to either one-dimensional (1-D) SDS-PAGE or two-dimensional (2-D) benzyldimethyl-n-hexadecylammonium chloride (BAC)/SDS-PAGE before nano-Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization--tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC-ESI-MS/MS). A total of 613 non-redundant proteins were identified, among which 371 (60.5%) proteins were classified as PM or membrane-associated proteins according to GO annotations and the literatures and 32.4% had transmembrane domains. PM proteins from microsomal portion possessed the highest percentage of transmembrane domain, about 46.5% of them containing at least one transmembrane domain. In addition to proteins known to be located at polarized liver PM regions, such as asialoglycoprotein receptor 2, desmoplakin and bile salt export pump, several proteins which had the potential to become novel subfraction-specific proteins were also identified, such as annexin a6, pannexin and radixin. Our analysis also evaluated the application of 1-D SDS-PAGE and 2-D 16-BAC/SDS-PAGE on the separation of integral membrane proteins.

ATP-induced P2X7-associated uptake of large molecules involves distinct mechanisms for cations and anions in macrophages

Macrophages express the P2X(7) receptor and other nucleotide (P2) receptors, and display the phenomenon of extracellular ATP (ATP(e))-induced P2X(7)-dependent membrane permeabilization, which occurs through a poorly understood mechanism. We used patch-clamp recordings, cytoplasmic Ca(2+) measurements and fluorescent dye uptake assays to compare P2X(7)-associated transport phenomena of macrophages and HEK-293 cells transfected with P2X(7) receptors (HEK-P2X(7) cells). Both cell types showed inward currents, increase of free cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration and the uptake of cationic dyes upon exposure to ATP(e), as previously described. However, in contrast to the macrophages, HEK-P2X(7) cells did not take up anionic dyes and did not display the 440 pS channels (Z pores) under cell-attached patch-clamping conditions. In addition, the transport mechanism of anionic dyes displayed by macrophages was also able to support dye efflux and, once activated at 37 degrees C, it remained active at 4 degrees C, whereas uptake of cationic dyes was temperature-dependent and unidirectional. Our results indicate that the mechanism of ATP(e)-induced dye uptake, usually called a ;permeabilization phenomenon' and associated with a ;permeabilization pore' can be ascribed to at least two distinct mechanisms in macrophages: a diffusional pathway, possibly associated with the 440 pS Z pores, and a cation uptake mechanism that is not diffusional and should be ascribed to an, as yet, unidentified transport mechanism.

CNQX and AMPA inhibit electrical synaptic transmission: a potential interaction between electrical and glutamatergic synapses

Electrical synapses play an important role in signaling between neurons and the synaptic connections between many neurons possess both electrical and chemical components. Although modulation of electrical synapses is frequently observed, the cellular processes that mediate such changes have not been studied as thoroughly as plasticity in chemical synapses. In the leech (Hirudo sp), the competitive AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX inhibited transmission at the rectifying electrical synapse of a mixed glutamatergic/electrical synaptic connection. This CNQX-mediated inhibition of the electrical synapse was blocked by concanavalin A (Con A) and dynamin inhibitory peptide (DIP), both of which are known to inhibit endocytosis of neurotransmitter receptors. CNQX-mediated inhibition was also blocked by pep2-SVKI (SVKI), a synthetic peptide that prevents internalization of AMPA-type glutamate receptor. AMPA itself also inhibited electrical synaptic transmission and this AMPA-mediated inhibition was partially blocked by Con A, DIP and SVKI. Low frequency stimulation induced long-term depression (LTD) in both the electrical and glutamatergic components of these synapses and this LTD was blocked by SVKI. GYKI 52466, a selective non-competitive antagonist of AMPA receptors, did not affect the electrical EPSP, although it did block the glutamatergic component of these synapses. CNQX did not affect non-rectifying electrical synapses in two different pairs of neurons. These results suggest an interaction between AMPA-type glutamate receptors and the gap junction proteins that mediate electrical synaptic transmission. This putative interaction between glutamate receptors and gap junction proteins represents a novel mechanism for regulating the strength of synaptic transmission.

Gap junctions couple astrocytes and oligodendrocytes

In vertebrates, a family of related proteins called connexins form gap junctions (GJs), which are intercellular channels. In the central nervous system (CNS), GJs couple oligodendrocytes and astrocytes (O/A junctions) and adjacent astrocytes (A/A junctions), but not adjacent oligodendrocytes, forming a "glial syncytium." Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes each express different connexins. Mutations of these connexin genes demonstrate that the proper functioning of myelin and oligodendrocytes requires the expression of these connexins. The physiological function of O/A and A/A junctions, however, remains to be illuminated.

Glial connexins and gap junctions in CNS inflammation and disease

Gap junctions facilitate direct cytoplasmic communication between neighboring cells, facilitating the transfer of small molecular weight molecules involved in cell signaling and metabolism. Gap junction channels are formed by the joining of two hemichannels from adjacent cells, each composed of six oligomeric protein subunits called connexins. Of paramount importance to CNS homeostasis are astrocyte networks formed by gap junctions, which play a critical role in maintaining the homeostatic regulation of extracellular pH, K+, and glutamate levels. Inflammation is a hallmark of several diseases afflicting the CNS. Within the past several years, the number of publications reporting effects of cytokines and pathogenic stimuli on glial gap junction communication has increased dramatically. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent observations characterizing the consequences of inflammatory stimuli on homocellular gap junction coupling in astrocytes and microglia as well as changes in connexin expression during various CNS inflammatory conditions.

Gap junction channels exhibit connexin-specific permeability to cyclic nucleotides

Gap junction channels exhibit connexin dependent biophysical properties, including selective intercellular passage of larger solutes, such as second messengers and siRNA. Here, we report the determination of cyclic nucleotide (cAMP) permeability through gap junction channels composed of Cx43, Cx40, or Cx26 using simultaneous measurements of junctional conductance and intercellular transfer of cAMP. For cAMP detection the recipient cells were transfected with a reporter gene, the cyclic nucleotide-modulated channel from sea urchin sperm (SpIH). cAMP was introduced via patch pipette into the cell of the pair that did not express SpIH. SpIH-derived currents (I(h)) were recorded from the other cell of a pair that expressed SpIH. cAMP diffusion through gap junction channels to the neighboring SpIH-transfected cell resulted in a five to sixfold increase in I(h) current over time. Cyclic AMP transfer was observed for homotypic Cx43 channels over a wide range of conductances. However, homotypic Cx40 and homotypic Cx26 exhibited reduced cAMP permeability in comparison to Cx43. The cAMP/K(+) permeability ratios were 0.18, 0.027, and 0.018 for Cx43, Cx26, and Cx40, respectively. Cx43 channels were approximately 10 to 7 times more permeable to cAMP than Cx40 or Cx26 (Cx43 > Cx26 > or = Cx40), suggesting that these channels have distinctly different selectivity for negatively charged larger solutes involved in metabolic/biochemical coupling. These data suggest that Cx43 permeability to cAMP results in a rapid delivery of cAMP from cell to cell in sufficient quantity before degradation by phosphodiesterase to trigger relevant intracellular responses. The data also suggest that the reduced permeability of Cx26 and Cx40 might compromise their ability to deliver cAMP rapidly enough to cause functional changes in a recipient cell.

Pannexin 1 and pannexin 3 are glycoproteins that exhibit many distinct characteristics from the connexin family of gap junction proteins

Pannexins are mammalian orthologs of the invertebrate gap junction proteins innexins and thus have been proposed to play a role in gap junctional intercellular communication. Localization of exogenously expressed pannexin 1 (Panx1) and pannexin 3 (Panx3), together with pharmacological studies, revealed a cell surface distribution profile and life cycle dynamics that were distinct from connexin 43 (Cx43, encoded by Gja1). Furthermore, N-glycosidase treatment showed that both Panx1 (approximately 41-48 kD species) and Panx3 (approximately 43 kD) were glycosylated, whereas N-linked glycosylation-defective mutants exhibited a decreased ability to be transported to the cell surface. Tissue surveys revealed the expression of Panx1 in several murine tissues--including in cartilage, skin, spleen and brain--whereas Panx3 expression was prevalent in skin and cartilage with a second higher-molecular-weight species present in a broad range of tissues. Tissue-specific localization patterns of Panx1 and Panx3 ranging from distinct cell surface clusters to intracellular profiles were revealed by immunostaining of skin and spleen sections. Finally, functional assays in cultured cells transiently expressing Panx1 and Panx3 were incapable of forming intercellular channels, but assembled into functional cell surface channels. Collectively, these studies show that Panx1 and Panx3 have many characteristics that are distinct from Cx43 and that these proteins probably play an important biological role as single membrane channels.

A calcium wave mediated by gap junctions coordinates a rhythmic behavior in C. elegans

Intercellular calcium waves can be observed in adult tissues, but whether they are instructive, permissive, or even required for behavior is predominantly unknown. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a periodic calcium spike in a pacemaker cell initiates a calcium wave in the intestine. The calcium wave is followed by three muscle contractions that comprise the defecation motor program. Normal wave propagation requires the pannexin gap-junction subunit INX-16 at the interfaces of the intestinal cells. In the absence of this gap-junction subunit, calcium waves are frequently absent. The remaining waves are slow, initiate at abnormal locations, or travel in the opposite direction. Abnormal waves are associated with parallel effects in the first step of the motor program: The contractions of the overlying muscles fail to propagate beyond the pacemaker cell, are slow, initiate in abnormal locations, or are reversed. Moreover, the last two motor steps are predominantly absent. Finally, the absence of this gap-junction subunit also affects the reliability of the pacemaker cell; cycle timing is often irregular. These data demonstrate that pannexin gap junctions propagate calcium waves in the C. elegans intestine. The calcium waves instruct the motor steps and regulate the pacemaker cell's authority and reliability.

Possible involvement of different connexin43 domains in plasma membrane permeabilization induced by ischemia-reperfusion

In vitro and in vivo studies support the involvement of connexin 43-based cell-cell channels and hemichannels in cell death propagation induced by ischemia-reperfusion. In this context, open connexin hemichannels in the plasma membrane have been proposed to act as accelerators of cell death. Progress on the mechanisms underlying the cell permeabilization induced by ischemia-reperfusion reveals the involvement of several factors leading to an augmented open probability and increased number of hemichannels on the cell surface. While open probability can be increased by a reduction in extracellular concentration of divalent cations and changes in covalent modifications of connexin 43 (oxidation and phosphorylation), increase in number of hemichannels requires an elevation of the intracellular free Ca(2+) concentration. Reversal of connexin 43 redox changes and membrane permeabilization can be induced by intracellular, but not extracellular, reducing agents, suggesting a cytoplasmic localization of the redox sensor(s). In agreement, hemichannels formed by connexin 45, which lacks cytoplasmic cysteines, or by connexin 43 with its C-terminal domain truncated to remove its cysteines are insensitive to reducing agents. Although further studies are required for a precise localization of the redox sensor of connexin 43 hemichannels, modulation of the redox potential is proposed as a target for the design of pharmacological tools to reduce cell death induced by ischemia-reperfusion in connexin 43-expressing cells.

Cross regulation of intercellular gap junction communication and paracrine signaling pathways during organogenesis in Drosophila

The spatial and temporal coordination of patterning and morphogenesis is often achieved by paracrine morphogen signals or by the direct coupling of cells via gap junctions. How paracrine signals and gap junction communication cooperate to control the coordinated behavior of cells and tissues is mostly unknown. We found that hedgehog signaling is required for the expression of wingless and of Delta/Notch target genes in a single row of boundary cells in the foregut-associated proventriculus organ of the Drosophila embryo. These cells coordinate the movement and folding of proventricular cells to generate a multilayered organ. hedgehog and wingless regulate gap junction communication by transcriptionally activating the innexin2 gene, which encodes a member of the innexin family of gap junction proteins. In innexin2 mutants, gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell communication is strongly reduced and the proventricular cell layers fail to fold and invaginate, similarly as in hedgehog or wingless mutants. We further found that innexin2 is required in a feedback loop for the transcriptional activation of the hedgehog and wingless morphogens and of Delta in the proventriculus primordium. We propose that the transcriptional cross regulation of paracrine and gap junction-mediated signaling is essential for organogenesis in Drosophila.

Gap junctions mediate large-scale Turing structures in a mean-field cortex driven by subcortical noise

One of the grand puzzles in neuroscience is establishing the link between cognition and the disparate patterns of spontaneous and task-induced brain activity that can be measured clinically using a wide range of detection modalities such as scalp electrodes and imaging tomography. High-level brain function is not a single-neuron property, yet emerges as a cooperative phenomenon of multiply-interacting populations of neurons. Therefore a fruitful modeling approach is to picture the cerebral cortex as a continuum characterized by parameters that have been averaged over a small volume of cortical tissue. Such mean-field cortical models have been used to investigate gross patterns of brain behavior such as anesthesia, the cycles of natural sleep, memory and erasure in slow-wave sleep, and epilepsy. There is persuasive and accumulating evidence that direct gap-junction connections between inhibitory neurons promote synchronous oscillatory behavior both locally and across distances of some centimeters, but, to date, continuum models have ignored gap-junction connectivity. In this paper we employ simple mean-field arguments to derive an expression for D2, the diffusive coupling strength arising from gap-junction connections between inhibitory neurons. Using recent neurophysiological measurements reported by Fukuda [J. Neurosci. 26, 3434 (2006)], we estimate an upper limit of D2 approximately 0.6cm2. We apply a linear stability analysis to a standard mean-field cortical model, augmented with gap-junction diffusion, and find this value for the diffusive coupling strength to be close to the critical value required to destabilize the homogeneous steady state. Computer simulations demonstrate that larger values of D2 cause the noise-driven model cortex to spontaneously crystalize into random mazelike Turing structures: centimeter-scale spatial patterns in which regions of high-firing activity are intermixed with regions of low-firing activity. These structures are consistent with the spatial variations in brain activity patterns detected with the BOLD (blood oxygen-level-dependent) signal detected with magnetic resonance imaging, and may provide a natural substrate for synchronous gamma-band rhythms observed across separated EEG (electroencephalogram) electrodes.

Discovery of P2X7 receptor-selective antagonists offers new insights into P2X7 receptor function and indicates a role in chronic pain states

ATP-sensitive P2X(7) receptors are localized on cells of immunological origin including peripheral macrophages and glial cells in the CNS. Activation of P2X(7) receptors leads to rapid changes in intracellular calcium concentrations, release of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1beta and following prolonged agonist exposure, the formation of cytolytic pores in plasma membranes. Both the localization and functional consequences of P2X(7) receptor activation indicate a role in inflammatory processes. The phenotype of P2X(7) receptor gene-disrupted mice also indicates that P2X(7) receptor activation contributes to ongoing inflammation. More recently, P2X(7) receptor knockout data has also suggested a specific role in inflammatory and neuropathic pain states. The recent discovery of potent and highly selective antagonists for P2X(7) receptors has helped to further clarify P2X receptor pharmacology, expanded understanding of P2X(7) receptor signaling, and offers new evidence that P2X(7) receptors play a specific role in nociceptive signaling in chronic pain states. In this review, we incorporate the recent discoveries of novel P2X(7) receptor-selective antagonists with a brief update on P2X(7) receptor pharmacology and its therapeutic potential.

The role of pannexin 1 hemichannels in ATP release and cell-cell communication in mouse taste buds

ATP has been shown to be a taste bud afferent transmitter, but the cells responsible for, and the mechanism of, its release have not been identified. Using CHO cells expressing high-affinity neurotransmitter receptors as biosensors, we show that gustatory stimuli cause receptor cells to secrete ATP through pannexin 1 hemichannels in mouse taste buds. ATP further stimulates other taste cells to release a second transmitter, serotonin. These results provide a mechanism to link intracellular Ca(2+) release during taste transduction to secretion of afferent transmitter, ATP, from receptor cells. They also indicate a route for cell-cell communication and signal processing within the taste bud.

Connexin channel permeability to cytoplasmic molecules

Connexin channels are known to be permeable to a variety of cytoplasmic molecules. The first observation of second messenger junctional permeability, made approximately 30 years ago, sparked broad interest in gap junction channels as mediators of intercellular molecular signaling. Since then, much has been learned about the diversity of connexin channels with regard to isoform diversity, tissue and developmental distribution, modes of channel regulation, assembly, expression, biochemical modification and permeability, all of which appear to be dynamically regulated. This information has expanded the potential roles of connexin channels in development, physiology and disease, and made their elucidation much more complex--30 years ago such an orchestra of junctional dynamics was unanticipated. Only recently, however, have investigators been able to directly address, in this more complex framework, the key issue: what specific biological molecules, second messengers and others, are able to permeate the various types of connexin channels, and how well? An important related issue, given the ever-growing list of connexin-related pathologies, is how these permeabilities are altered by disease-causing connexin mutations. Together, many studies show that a variety of cytoplasmic molecules can permeate the different types of connexin channels. A few studies reveal differences in permeation by different molecules through a particular type of connexin channel, and differences in permeation by a particular molecule through different types of connexin channels. This article describes and evaluates the various methods used to obtain these data, presents an annotated compilation of the results, and discusses the findings in the context of what can be inferred about mechanism of selectivity and potential relevance to signaling. The data strongly suggest that highly specific interactions take place between connexin pores and specific biological molecular permeants, and that those interactions determine which cytoplasmic molecules can permeate and how well. At this time, the nature of those interactions is unclear. One hopes that with more detailed permeability and structural information, the specific molecular mechanisms of the selectivity can be elucidated.

Tumor-suppressive effects of pannexin 1 in C6 glioma cells

Mammalian gap junction proteins, connexins, have long been implicated in tumor suppression. Recently, a novel family of proteins named pannexins has been identified as the mammalian counterpart of the invertebrate gap junction proteins, innexins. To date, pannexin 1 (Panx1) and pannexin 2 (Panx2) mRNAs are reported to be expressed in the brain. Most neoplastic cells, including rat C6 gliomas, exhibit reduced connexin expression, aberrant gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), and an increased proliferation rate. When gap junctions are up-regulated by transfecting C6 cells with connexin43, GJIC is restored and the proliferation is reduced. In this study, we examined the tumor-suppressive effects of Panx1 expression in C6 cells. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that C6 cells do not express any of the pannexin transcripts, whereas its nontumorigenic counterpart, rat primary astrocytes, exhibited mRNAs for all three pannexins. On generation of stable C6 transfectants with tagged Panx1 [myc or enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)], a localization of Panx1 expression to the Golgi apparatus and plasma membrane was observed. In addition, Panx1 transfectants exhibited a flattened morphology, which differs greatly from the spindle-shaped control cells (EGFP only). Moreover, Panx1 expression increased gap junctional coupling as shown by the passage of sulforhodamine 101. Finally, we showed that stable expression of Panx1 in C6 cells significantly reduced cell proliferation in monolayers, cell motility, anchorage-independent growth, and in vivo tumor growth in athymic nude mice. Altogether, we conclude that the loss of pannexin expression may participate in the development of C6 gliomas, whereas restoration of Panx1 plays a tumor-suppressive role.

Interactions of connexins with other membrane channels and transporters

Cell-to-cell communication through gap junctions exists in most animal cells and is essential for many important biological processes including rapid transmission of electric signals to coordinate contraction of cardiac and smooth muscle, the intercellular propagation of Ca(2+) waves and synchronization of physiological processes between adjacent cells within a tissue. Recent studies have shown that connexins (Cx) can have either direct or indirect interactions with other plasma membrane ion channels or membrane transport proteins with important functional consequences. For example, in tissues most severely affected by cystic fibrosis (CF), activation of the CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) has been shown to influence connexin function. Moreover, a direct interaction between Cx45.6 and the Major Intrinsic Protein/AQP0 in lens appears to influence the process of cell differentiation whereas interactions between aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and Cx43 in mouse astrocytes may coordinate the intercellular movement of ions and water between astrocytes. In this review, we discuss evidence supporting interactions between Cx and membrane channels/transporters including CFTR, aquaporins, ionotropic glutamate receptors, and between pannexin1, another class of putative gap-junction-forming proteins, and Kvbeta3, a regulatory beta-subunit of voltage gated potassium channels. Although the precise molecular nature of these interactions has yet to be defined, their consequences may be critical for normal tissue homeostasis.

What is hidden in the pannexin treasure trove: the sneak peek and the guesswork

Connexins had been considered to be the only class of the vertebrate proteins capable of gap junction formation; however, new candidates for this function with no homology to connexins, termed pannexins were discovered. So far three pannexins were described in rodent and human genomes: Panx1, Panx2 and Panx3. Expressions of pannexins can be detected in numerous brain structures, and now found both in neuronal and glial cells. Hypothetical roles of pannexins in the nervous system include participating in sensory processing, hippocampal plasticity, synchronization between hippocampus and cortex, and propagation of the calcium waves supported by glial cells, which help maintain and modulate neuronal metabolism. Pannexin also may participate in pathological reactions of the neural cells, including their damage after ischemia and subsequent cell death. Recent study revealed non-gap junction function of Panx1 hemichannels in erythrocytes, where they serve as the conduits for the ATP release in response to the osmotic stress. High-throughput studies produced some evidences of the pannexin involvement in the process of tumorigenesis. According to brain cancer gene expression database REMBRANDT, PANX2 expression levels can predict post diagnosis survival for patients with glial tumors. Further investigations are needed to verify or reject hypotheses listed.

Pannexin1 is expressed by neurons and glia but does not form functional gap junctions

Pannexins are a newly described family of proteins that may form gap junctions. We made antisera against mouse pannexin1 (Panx1). HeLa cells expressing Panx1 have cell surface labeling, but not gap junction plaques, and do not transfer small fluorescent dyes or neurobiotin in a scrape-loading assay. Neuro2a cells expressing Panx1 are not electrophysiologically coupled. Intracellular Panx1-immunoreactivity, but not gap junction plaques, is seen in cultured oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and hippocampal neurons. Thus, at least in these mammalian cells lines, Panx1 does not form morphological or functional gap junctions, and it remains to be demonstrated that Panx1 forms gap junction-forming protein in the CNS.

Functional connexin "hemichannels": a critical appraisal

"Hemichannels" are defined as the halves of gap junction channels (also termed connexons) that are contributed by one cell; "hemichannels" are considered to be functional if they are open in nonjunctional membranes in the absence of pairing with partners from adjacent cells. Several recent reviews have summarized the blossoming literature regarding functional "hemichannels", in some cases encyclopedically. However, most of these previous reviews have been written with the assumption that all data reporting "hemichannel" involvement really have studied phenomena in which connexons actually form the permeability or conductance pathway. In this review, we have taken a slightly different approach. We review the concept of "hemichannels", summarize properties that might be expected of half gap junctions and evaluate the extent to which the properties of presumptive "hemichannels" match expectations. Then we consider functions attributed to hemichannels, provide an overview of other channel types that might fulfill similar roles and provide sets of criteria that might be applied to verify involvement of connexin hemichannels in cell and tissue function. One firm conclusion is reached. The study of hemichannels is technically challenging and fraught with opportunities for misinterpretation, so that future studies must apply rigorous standards for detection of hemichannel expression and function. At the same time there are reasons to expect surprises, including the possibility that some time honored techniques for studying gap junctions may prove unsuitable for detecting hemichannels. We advise hemichannel researchers to proceed with caution and an open mind.

Pannexin-1 mediates large pore formation and interleukin-1beta release by the ATP-gated P2X7 receptor

P2X(7) receptors are ATP-gated cation channels; their activation in macrophage also leads to rapid opening of a membrane pore permeable to dyes such as ethidium, and to release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta). It has not been known what this dye-uptake path is, or whether it is involved in downstream signalling to IL-1beta release. Here, we identify pannexin-1, a recently described mammalian protein that functions as a hemichannel when ectopically expressed, as this dye-uptake pathway and show that signalling through pannexin-1 is required for processing of caspase-1 and release of mature IL-1beta induced by P2X(7) receptor activation.

Structure and function of gap junctions in the developing brain

Gap-junction-dependent neuronal communication is widespread in the developing brain, and the prevalence of gap-junctional coupling is well correlated with specific developmental events. We summarize here our current knowledge of the contribution of gap junctions to brain development and propose that they carry out this role by taking advantage of the full complement of their functional properties. Thus, hemichannel activation may represent a key step in the initiation of Ca(2+) waves that coordinate cell cycle events during early prenatal neurogenesis, whereas both hemichannels and/or gap junctions may control the division and migration of cohorts of precursor cells during late prenatal neurogenesis. Finally, the recent discovery that pannexins, a novel group of proteins prominently expressed in the brain, are able to form both hemichannels and gap-junction channels suggests that we need to seek more than just connexins with respect to these junctions.