[Expression of connexin genes in the liver of different stages of embryo development]

To explore the relationship between the connexin (Cx) gene expression and cellular differentiation in the liver of different embryonic stage, we studied the expression of Cx genes in the liver of different embryonic ages by Northern blot hybridization technique, using the series of Cx gene as the molecular probes. The expression of Cx genes exhibited organ specificity, Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 were expressed in the liver while others had no signal. Cx26, Cx32, and Cx43 genes exhibited different expression models in different developmental stages of the fetus. Cx43 did not express in human liver after birth, but it expressed in the fetal stage. The results suggest that the expression of Cx genes plays an important role in the organ development and may be a key gene to regulate some differentiational events associated with cell growth and organ development.