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Srivastava P, Kane A, Harrison C, Levin M. A Meta-Analysis of Bioelectric Data in Cancer, Embryogenesis, and Regeneration. Bioelectricity 2021; 3:42-67. [PMID: 34476377 DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2019.0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental bioelectricity is the study of the endogenous role of bioelectrical signaling in all cell types. Resting potentials and other aspects of ionic cell physiology are known to be important regulatory parameters in embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer. However, relevant quantitative measurement and genetic phenotyping data are distributed throughout wide-ranging literature, hampering experimental design and hypothesis generation. Here, we analyze published studies on bioelectrics and transcriptomic and genomic/phenotypic databases to provide a novel synthesis of what is known in three important aspects of bioelectrics research. First, we provide a comprehensive list of channelopathies-ion channel and pump gene mutations-in a range of important model systems with developmental patterning phenotypes, illustrating the breadth of channel types, tissues, and phyla (including man) in which bioelectric signaling is a critical endogenous aspect of embryogenesis. Second, we perform a novel bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic data during regeneration in diverse taxa that reveals an electrogenic protein to be the one common factor specifically expressed in regeneration blastemas across Kingdoms. Finally, we analyze data on distinct Vmem signatures in normal and cancer cells, revealing a specific bioelectrical signature corresponding to some types of malignancies. These analyses shed light on fundamental questions in developmental bioelectricity and suggest new avenues for research in this exciting field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranjal Srivastava
- Rye High School, Rye, New York, USA; Current Affiliation: College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Anna Kane
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christina Harrison
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
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Oshima A. Structure of an innexin gap junction channel and cryo-EM sample preparation. Microscopy (Oxf) 2018; 66:371-379. [PMID: 29036409 PMCID: PMC6084585 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfx035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Gap junction channels are essential for mediating intercellular communication in most multicellular organisms. Two gene families encode gap junction channels, innexin and connexin. Although the sequence similarity between these two families based on bioinformatics is not conclusively determined, the gap junction channels encoded by these two gene families are structurally and functionally analogous. We recently reported an atomic structure of an invertebrate innexin gap junction channel using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. Our findings revealed that connexin and innexin families share several structural properties with regard to their monomeric and oligomeric structures, while simultaneously suggesting a diversity of gap junction channels in nature. This review summarizes cutting-edge progress toward determining an innexin gap junction channel structure, as well as essential tips for preparing cryo-electron microscopy samples for high-resolution structural analysis of an innexin gap junction channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsunori Oshima
- Cellular and Structural Physiology Institute (CeSPI), Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Basic Medicinal Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
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Levin M. Gap junctional communication in morphogenesis. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2007; 94:186-206. [PMID: 17481700 PMCID: PMC2292839 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2007.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Gap junctions permit the direct passage of small molecules from the cytosol of one cell to that of its neighbor, and thus form a system of cell-cell communication that exists alongside familiar secretion/receptor signaling. Because of the rich potential for regulation of junctional conductance, and directional and molecular gating (specificity), gap junctional communication (GJC) plays a crucial role in many aspects of normal tissue physiology. However, the most exciting role for GJC is in the regulation of information flow that takes place during embryonic development, regeneration, and tumor progression. The molecular mechanisms by which GJC establishes local and long-range instructive morphogenetic cues are just beginning to be understood. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the involvement of GJC in the patterning of both vertebrate and invertebrate systems and discusses in detail several morphogenetic systems in which the properties of this signaling have been molecularly characterized. One model consistent with existing data in the fields of vertebrate left-right patterning and anterior-posterior polarity in flatworm regeneration postulates electrophoretically guided movement of small molecule morphogens through long-range GJC paths. The discovery of mechanisms controlling embryonic and regenerative GJC-mediated signaling, and identification of the downstream targets of GJC-permeable molecules, represent exciting next areas of research in this fascinating field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Forsyth Center for Regenerative and Devlopmental Biology, Forsyth Institute, and Developmental Biology Department, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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KAMASAWA N, SIK A, MORITA M, YASUMURA T, DAVIDSON KGV, NAGY JI, RASH JE. Connexin-47 and connexin-32 in gap junctions of oligodendrocyte somata, myelin sheaths, paranodal loops and Schmidt-Lanterman incisures: implications for ionic homeostasis and potassium siphoning. Neuroscience 2005; 136:65-86. [PMID: 16203097 PMCID: PMC1550704 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2005] [Revised: 07/20/2005] [Accepted: 08/03/2005] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The subcellular distributions and co-associations of the gap junction-forming proteins connexin 47 and connexin 32 were investigated in oligodendrocytes of adult mouse and rat CNS. By confocal immunofluorescence light microscopy, abundant connexin 47 was co-localized with astrocytic connexin 43 on oligodendrocyte somata, and along myelinated fibers, whereas connexin 32 without connexin 47 was co-localized with contactin-associated protein (caspr) in paranodes. By thin-section transmission electron microscopy, connexin 47 immunolabeling was on the oligodendrocyte side of gap junctions between oligodendrocyte somata and astrocytes. By freeze-fracture replica immunogold labeling, large gap junctions between oligodendrocyte somata and astrocyte processes contained much more connexin 47 than connexin 32. Along surfaces of internodal myelin, connexin 47 was several times as abundant as connexin 32, and in the smallest gap junctions, often occurred without connexin 32. In contrast, connexin 32 was localized without connexin 47 in newly-described autologous gap junctions in Schmidt-Lanterman incisures and between paranodal loops bordering nodes of Ranvier. Thus, connexin 47 in adult rodent CNS is the most abundant connexin in most heterologous oligodendrocyte-to-astrocyte gap junctions, whereas connexin 32 is the predominant if not sole connexin in autologous ("reflexive") oligodendrocyte gap junctions. These results clarify the locations and connexin compositions of heterologous and autologous oligodendrocyte gap junctions, identify autologous gap junctions at paranodes as potential sites for modulating paranodal electrical properties, and reveal connexin 47-containing and connexin 32-containing gap junctions as conduits for long-distance intracellular and intercellular movement of ions and associated osmotic water. The autologous gap junctions may regulate paranodal electrical properties during saltatory conduction. Acting in series and in parallel, autologous and heterologous oligodendrocyte gap junctions provide essential pathways for intra- and intercellular ionic homeostasis.
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Key Words
- confocal microscopy
- freeze fracture
- immunofluorescence
- immunogold labeling
- rodent
- a/a, astrocyte-to-astrocyte
- aqp4, aquaporin4
- caspr, contactin-associated protein
- cx, connexin, designated according to molecular weight in kilodaltons
- cx26, connexin26
- cx29, connexin29
- cx30, connexin30
- cx32, connexin32
- cx43, connexin43
- cx47, connexin47
- dab, diaminobenzidine
- e-face, extraplasmic leaflet
- fril, freeze-fracture replica immunogold labeling
- gfap, glial acidic fibrillary acidic protein
- imp, intramembrane particle/intramembrane protein
- ko, knockout
- le, labeling efficiency
- lm, light microscopy
- o/a, oligodendrocyte-to-astrocyte
- o/o, oligodendrocyte-to-oligodendrocyte
- pb, phosphate buffer
- p-face, protoplasmic leaflet
- pns, peripheral nervous system
- tbst, tris-hcl-buffered saline with triton x-100
- tem, transmission electron microscopy
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Affiliation(s)
- N. KAMASAWA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1617, USA
| | - A. SIK
- Centre de recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, 2601 Chemin de la Canardiere, Quebec, Quebec, Canada G1J 2G3
| | - M. MORITA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1617, USA
| | - T. YASUMURA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1617, USA
| | - K. G. V. DAVIDSON
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1617, USA
| | - J. I. NAGY
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, 730 William Avenue, Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3J7
| | - J. E. RASH
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1617, USA
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Abstract
Gap junctions provide one of the most common forms of intercellular communication. They are composed of membrane proteins that form a channel that is permeable to ions and small molecules, connecting the cytoplasm of adjacent cells. Gap junctions serve similar functions in all multicellular animals (Metazoa). Two unrelated protein families are involved in this function; connexins, which are found only in chordates, and pannexins, which are ubiquitous and present in both chordate and invertebrate genomes. The involvement of mammalian pannexins to gap junction formation was recently confirmed. Now it is necessary to consider the role of pannexins as an alternative to connexins in vertebrate intercellular communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri V Panchin
- Institute of Problems of Information Transmission, Russian Academy of Science, 127994 Moscow, Russia.
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Rutenberg J, Cheng SM, Levin M. Early embryonic expression of ion channels and pumps in chick and Xenopus development. Dev Dyn 2002; 225:469-84. [PMID: 12454924 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.10180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
An extensive body of literature implicates endogenous ion currents and standing voltage potential differences in the control of events during embryonic morphogenesis. Although the expression of ion channel and pump genes, which are responsible for ion flux, has been investigated in detail in nervous tissues, little data are available on the distribution and function of specific channels and pumps in early embryogenesis. To provide a necessary basis for the molecular understanding of the role of ion flux in development, we surveyed the expression of ion channel and pump mRNAs, as well as other genes that help to regulate membrane potential. Analysis in two species, chick and Xenopus, shows that several ion channel and pump mRNAs are present in specific and dynamic expression patterns in early embryos, well before the appearance of neurons. Examination of the distribution of maternal mRNAs reveals complex spatiotemporal subcellular localization patterns of transcripts in early blastomeres in Xenopus. Taken together, these data are consistent with an important role for ion flux in early embryonic morphogenesis; this survey characterizes candidate genes and provides information on likely embryonic contexts for their function, setting the stage for functional studies of the morphogenetic roles of ion transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Rutenberg
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Bryant
- Developmental Biology Center, University of California, Irvine 92717, USA
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Abstract
The vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) is a universal component of eukaryotic organisms. It is present in the membranes of many organelles, where its proton-pumping action creates the low intra-vacuolar pH found, for example, in lysosomes. In addition, there are a number of differentiated cell types that have V-ATPases on their surface that contribute to the physiological functions of these cells. The V-ATPase is a multi-subunit enzyme composed of a membrane sector and a cytosolic catalytic sector. It is related to the familiar FoF1 ATP synthase (F-ATPase), having the same basic architectural construction, and many of the subunits from the two display identity with one another. All the core subunits of the V-ATPase have now been identified and much is known about the assembly, regulation and pharmacology of the enzyme. Recent genetic analysis has shown the V-ATPase to be a vital component of higher eukaryotes. At least one of the subunits, i.e. subunit c (ductin), may have multifunctional roles in membrane transport, providing a possible pathway of communication between cells. The structure of the membrane sector is known in some detail, and it is possible to begin to suggest how proton pumping is coupled to ATP hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Finbow
- CRC Beatson Laboratories, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1BD, Scotland, U.K
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