Reduced junctional permeability at interrhombomeric boundaries

Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 1069-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Martinez ◽  
E. Geijo ◽  
M.V. Sanchez-Vives ◽  
L. Puelles ◽  
R. Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Neuroepithelial Cells ◽  
Junctional Permeability ◽  
Pattern Specification ◽  
Gap Junctional

Intercellular communication is considered to have a role during pattern specification processes in early embryonic development. This report analyzes the changing gap junctional communication properties of chick neuroepithelial cells depending on their position relative to the segmental partitions of the rhombencephalon. Intercellular electrical coupling and dye transfer were studied with microelectrode techniques. Neuroepithelial cells were electrically coupled irrespective of their location relative to interneuromeric boundaries. Iontophoretic injection of biocytin or Lucifer Yellow into single cells inside the rhombomeres was followed by transjunctional diffusion to the surrounding cells. In contrast, dye transfer was strictly limited when the diffusion zone contacted the cells forming the interneuromeric limits. Label injected into the boundary cells did not spread to other cells at all. Avian interrhombomeric boundaries are thus sites of reduced junctional permeability during early morphogenesis.

scholarly journals Asymmetric patterns of gap junctional communication in developing chicken skin

Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Serras ◽  
S. Fraser ◽  
C.M. Chuong
Keyword(s):  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Dye Coupling ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Chicken Skin ◽  
Preferential Pathways ◽  
Gap Junctional ◽  
Feather Development

To study the pattern of gap junctional communication in chicken skin and feather development, we injected Lucifer Yellow into single cells and monitored the transfer of the fluorescent dye through gap junctions. Dye coupling is present between cells of the epithelium as well as between cells of the mesoderm. However, dye transfer did not occur equally in all directions and showed several consistent patterns and asymmetries, including: (1) no dye coupling between mesoderm and epithelium, (2) partial restriction of dye coupling at the feather bud/interbud boundary during early feather bud development, (3) preferential distribution of Lucifer Yellow along the anteroposterior axis of the feather placode and (4) absence of dye coupling in some epithelial cells. These results suggest the presence of preferential pathways of communication that may play a role in the patterning of chicken skin.

scholarly journals Gap Junctional Communication in the Early Xenopus Embryo

2000 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 929-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosef Landesman ◽  
Daniel A. Goodenough ◽  
David L. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Xenopus Embryo ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Whole Mount ◽  
Gap Junctional ◽  
Whole Mounts

In the Xenopus embryo, blastomeres are joined by gap junctions that allow the movement of small molecules between neighboring cells. Previous studies using Lucifer yellow (LY) have reported asymmetries in the patterns of junctional communication suggesting involvement in dorso-ventral patterning. To explore that relationship, we systematically compared the transfer of LY and neurobiotin in embryos containing 16–128 cells. In all cases, the junction-permeable tracer was coinjected with a fluorescent dextran that cannot pass through gap junctions. Surprisingly, while LY appeared to transfer in whole-mount embryos, in no case did we observe junctional transfer of LY in fixed and sectioned embryos. The lack of correspondence between data obtained from whole-mounts and from sections results from two synergistic effects. First, uninjected blastomeres in whole-mounts reflect and scatter light originating from the intensely fluorescent injected cell, creating a diffuse background interpretable as dye transfer. Second, the heavier pigmentation in ventral blastomeres masks this scattered signal, giving the impression of an asymmetry in communication. Thus, inspection of whole-mount embryos is an unreliable method for the assessment of dye transfer between embryonic blastomeres. A rigorous and unambiguous demonstration of gap junctional intercellular communication demands both the coinjection of permeant and impermeant tracers followed by the examination of sectioned specimens. Whereas LY transfer was never observed, neurobiotin was consistently transferred in both ventral and dorsal aspects of the embryo, with no apparent asymmetry. Ventralization of embryos by UV irradiation and dorsalization by Xwnt-8 did not alter the patterns of communication. Thus, our results are not compatible with current models for a role of gap junctional communication in dorso-ventral patterning.

Gap junctional communication underpins EDHF-type relaxations evoked by ACh in the rat hepatic artery

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (6) ◽  
pp. H2441-H2450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Chaytor ◽  
Patricia E. M. Martin ◽  
David H. Edwards ◽  
Tudor M. Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Hepatic Artery ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Cell Coupling ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
A7r5 Cells ◽  
Gap Junctional

Synthetic peptides homologous to the Gap 26 and Gap 27 domains of the first and second extracellular loops of the major vascular connexins (Cx37, Cx40, and Cx43) have been used to investigate the role of gap junctions in endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-type relaxations of the rat hepatic artery. These peptides were designated 37,40Gap 26,43Gap 26, 37,43Gap 27, and 40Gap 27, according to connexin specificity. When administered at 600 μM, none of the peptides individually affected maximal EDHF-type relaxations to ACh. By contrast, at 300 μM each, paired peptide combinations targeting more than one connexin subtype attenuated relaxation by up to 50%, and responses were abolished by the triple peptide combination 43Gap 26 + 40Gap 27 + 37,43Gap 27. In parallel experiments with A7r5 cells expressing Cx40 and Cx43, neither 43Gap 26 nor40Gap 27 affected intercellular diffusion of Lucifer yellow individually but, in combination, significantly attenuated dye transfer. The findings confirm that functional cell-cell coupling may depend on more than one connexin subtype and demonstrate that direct intercellular communication via gap junctions constructed from Cx37, Cx40, and Cx43 underpins EDHF-type responses in the rat hepatic artery.

scholarly journals Communication compartments in the gastrulating mouse embryo.

1988 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
G H Kalimi ◽  
C W Lo
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Embryo ◽  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Primitive Streak ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Germ Layers ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Gap Junctional ◽  
Ionic Coupling

We characterized the pattern of gap junctional communication in the 7.5-d mouse embryo (at the primitive streak or gastrulation stage). First we examined the pattern of dye coupling by injecting the fluorescent tracers, Lucifer Yellow or carboxyfluorescein, and monitoring the extent of dye spread. These studies revealed that cells within all three germ layers are well coupled, as the injected dye usually spread rapidly from the site of impalement into the neighboring cells. The dye spread, however, appeared to be restricted at specific regions of the embryo. Further thick section histological analysis revealed little or no dye transfer between germ layers, indicating that each is a separate communication compartment. The pattern of dye movement within the embryonic ectoderm and mesoderm further suggested that cells in each of these germ layers may be subdivided into smaller communication compartments, the most striking of which are a number of "box-like" domains. Such compartments, unlike the restrictions observed between germ layers, are consistently only partially restrictive. In light of these results, we further monitored ionic coupling to determine if some coupling might nevertheless persist between germ layers. For these studies, Lucifer Yellow was coinjected while ionic coupling was monitored. The injected Lucifer Yellow facilitated the identification of the impalement sites, both in the live specimen and in thick sections in the subsequent histological analysis. By using this approach, all three germ layers were shown to be ionically coupled, indicating that gap junctional communication is maintained across the otherwise dye-uncoupled "germ layer compartments." Thus our results demonstrate that partially restrictive communication compartments are associated with the delamination of germ layers in the gastrulating mouse embryo. The spatial distribution of these compartments are consistent with a possible role in the underlying development.

Gap junction expression and cell proliferation in differentiating cultures of Cx43 KO mouse hepatocytes

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (4) ◽  
pp. G1004-G1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Kojima ◽  
Alfredo Fort ◽  
Mingyuan Tao ◽  
Masao Yamamoto ◽  
David C. Spray
Keyword(s):  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Dye Transfer ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Conductance ◽  
Mouse Hepatocytes

Primary cultures of adult mouse hepatocytes are shown here to reexpress differentiated hepatocyte features following treatment with 2% DMSO and 10−7 M glucagon. To examine the roles of gap junctional communication during hepatocyte growth and differentiation, we have compared treated and untreated hepatocytes from connexin (Cx)32-deficient [Cx32 knockout (KO)] and wild-type mice. In untreated cultures, DNA replication of Cx32 KO hepatocytes was markedly higher than of wild types. Although Cx26 mRNA levels remained high at all time points in wild-type and Cx32 KO hepatocytes, Cx32 mRNA and protein in wild-type hepatocytes underwent a marked decline, which recovered in 10-day treated cultures. Increased levels of Cx26 protein and junctional conductance were observed in Cx32 KO hepatocytes at 96 h in culture, a time when cell growth rate was high. Treatment with DMSO/glucagon highly reinduced Cx26 expression in Cx32 KO hepatocytes, and such treatment reinduced expression of both Cx32 and Cx26 expression in wild types. Dye transfer was not observed following Lucifer yellow injection into DMSO/glucagon-treated Cx32 KO hepatocytes, whereas the spread was extensive in wild types. Nevertheless, high junctional conductance values were observed in treated cells from both genotypes. These studies provide a method by which the differentiated phenotype can be obtained in cultured mouse hepatocytes and provide in vitro evidence that expression of gap junctions formed of Cx32 are involved in the regulation of growth of mouse hepatocytes.

scholarly journals Morphofunctional integration between skeletal myoblasts and adult cardiomyocytes in coculture is favored by direct cell-cell contacts and relaxin treatment

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (4) ◽  
pp. C795-C804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Formigli ◽  
Fabio Francini ◽  
Alessia Tani ◽  
Roberta Squecco ◽  
Daniele Nosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junctions ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Myoblast Differentiation ◽  
Cell Contact ◽  
Cx43 Expression ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Skeletal Myoblasts ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Direct Cell ◽  
Gap Junctional

The success of cellular cardiomyoplasty, a novel therapy for the repair of postischemic myocardium, depends on the anatomical integration of the engrafted cells with the resident cardiomyocytes. Our aim was to investigate the interaction between undifferentiated mouse skeletal myoblasts (C2C12 cells) and adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes in an in vitro coculture model. Connexin43 (Cx43) expression, Lucifer yellow microinjection, Ca2+ transient propagation, and electrophysiological analysis demonstrated that myoblasts and cardiomyocytes were coupled by functional gap junctions. We also showed that cardiomyocytes upregulated gap junctional communication and expression of Cx43 in myoblasts. This effect required direct cell-to-cell contact between the two cell types and was potentiated by treatment with relaxin, a cardiotropic hormone with potential effects on cardiac development. Analysis of the gating properties of gap junctions by dual cell patch clamping showed that the copresence of cardiomyocytes in the cultures significantly increased the transjunctional current and conductance between myoblasts. Relaxin enhanced this effect in both the myoblast-myoblast and myoblast-cardiomyocyte cell pairs, likely acting not only on gap junction formation but also on the electrical properties of the preexisting channels. Our findings suggest that myoblasts and cardiomyocytes interact actively through gap junctions and that relaxin potentiates the intercellular coupling. A potential role for gap junctional communication in favoring the intercellular exchange of regulatory molecules, including Ca2+, in the modulation of myoblast differentiation is discussed.

scholarly journals The actions of retinoids on cellular growth correlate with their actions on gap junctional communication.

1989 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 1053-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
P P Mehta ◽  
J S Bertram ◽  
W R Loewenstein
Keyword(s):  
Retinoic Acid ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Cellular Growth ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Gap Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Communication ◽  
Junctional Permeability ◽  
Gap Junctional ◽  
Synthetic Derivatives ◽  
Derivatives Of

Retinoic acid (a possible morphogen), its biological precursor retinol, and certain synthetic derivatives of retinol profoundly change junctional intercellular communication and growth (saturation density) in 10T 1/2 and 3T3 cells and in their transformed counterparts. The changes correlate: growth decreases as the steady-state junctional permeability rises, and growth increases as that permeability falls. Retinoic acid and retinol exert quite different steady-state actions on communication at noncytotoxic concentrations in the normal cells: retinoic acid inhibits communication at 10(-10)-10(-9) M and enhances at 10(-9)-10(-7) M, whereas retinol only enhances (10(-8)-10(-6) M). In v-mos-transformed cells the enhancement is altogether lacking. But regardless of the retinoid or cell type, all growth responses show essentially the same dependence on junctional permeability. This is the expected behavior if the cell-to-cell channels of gap junctions disseminate growth-regulating signals through cell populations.

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