Gap junctional communication in tissue inflammation and repair
Marc Chanson1, Jean-Paul Derouette, Isabelle Roth
1Laboratory of Clinical Investigation III, Department of Pediatrics, HUG-P.O. BOX 14, Micheli-du-Crest, 24, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland. Marc.Chanson@hcuge.ch
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|June 16, 2005
Summary
Inflammation and tissue repair involve complex cellular communication. This review explores how gap junctions mediate intercellular communication, influencing inflammatory responses and tissue healing processes.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Immunology
- Pathology
Background:
- Local injury triggers a complex response involving inflammation, characterized by fluid and white blood cell accumulation at the injury site.
- Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors are crucial for regulating cell migration, proliferation, and matrix synthesis during inflammation.
- Fibrotic diseases share similarities with tissue repair and scarring, affecting single organs or having a generalized distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding the role of gap junction-mediated intercellular communication.
- To elucidate the contribution of gap junctions in modulating inflammatory responses.
- To examine the impact of gap junctions on tissue repair mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent scientific advances.
- Analysis of studies focusing on gap junction function in inflammation and tissue repair.
- Synthesis of findings on intercellular communication pathways.
Main Results:
- Gap junction-mediated communication is integral to the initiation, maintenance, and resolution of innate immune responses.
- Intercellular communication via gap junctions significantly modulates cellular functions critical for inflammation and tissue repair.
- Dysregulation of these pathways may contribute to fibrotic disease development.
Conclusions:
- Gap junction intercellular communication is a key regulator of inflammatory processes and tissue repair.
- Targeting gap junction pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex roles of gap junctions in healing and disease.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Contact-dependent Signaling
Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
01:37Gap Junctions
Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
01:24Inflammatory Response II: Inflammatory Exudate and Tissue Repair
The immune system's inflammatory response destroys the invading pathogen, permitting the tissue to heal. The changes during the cellular and vascular stages allow exudate formation at the site of inflammation. The inflammatory exudate released from the wound has high protein content and a specific gravity above 1.020.
The typical wound exudate is odorless, transparent, straw-colored, thin, and watery. Exudate, however, can differ depending on the state of wound healing. Likewise, the exudate's...
The typical wound exudate is odorless, transparent, straw-colored, thin, and watery. Exudate, however, can differ depending on the state of wound healing. Likewise, the exudate's...
01:14Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions
The complex three-dimensional arrangement of cells in any multicellular organism is defined and maintained by interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. Cell-cell junctions are specialized structures where the multi-protein complexes on one cell interact with the multi-protein complexes on another cell. These cell junctions are classified into three main types based on their function — occluding, anchoring, and gap junctions.
Occluding or Tight Junctions
Tight...
Occluding or Tight Junctions
Tight...
01:27Gap Junctions
The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
01:28Tissue Injury: Inflammation and Repair
Following injury, the integrity of the injured tissues must be reestablished. For example, in skin tissue, wound repair involves coordination among resident skin cells, blood mononuclear cells, extracellular matrix, growth factors, and cytokines to complete the healing cascade.
Formation of Blood Clot
In case of deep injuries, trauma to blood vessels results in blood loss. In the meantime, phospholipids released from the ruptured endothelial cellular membrane are converted into arachidonic...
Formation of Blood Clot
In case of deep injuries, trauma to blood vessels results in blood loss. In the meantime, phospholipids released from the ruptured endothelial cellular membrane are converted into arachidonic...