Regulation of hematopoiesis by gap junction-mediated intercellular communication

Gap junctions are intercellular channels formed by individual structural units known as connexins (Cx) that allow the intercellular exchange of small molecules between cells. The presence of Cx protein in bone marrow and thymic stromal cells and the demonstration that these cells are functionally coupled have led to the hypothesis that groups of stromal cells in the bone marrow and thymus form a functional syncytium through which their hematopoietic support capacity is coordinated. The validity of this hypothesis was recently tested in a newly developed strain of mice in which the gene encoding Cx43, the principal Cx expressed in hematopoietic tissues, was disrupted. Studies of myelopoiesis and lymphopoiesis in these Cx43-deficient mice revealed that expression of Cx43 in the bone marrow and thymus is critically important during periods of active hematopoiesis, such as during embryogenesis and after recovery from cytoablative treatments. The clinical implications of these observations, as well as issues that remain to be addressed to understand the mechanism(s) by which gap junctions regulate hematopoiesis, are addressed.