Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption
Published on: October 4, 2019
Multifaceted Roles of Connexin 43 in Stem Cell Niches
Nafiisha Genet1,2, Neha Bhatt1,2, Antonin Bourdieu1,2
1Department of Medicine, Genetics and Biomedical Engineering, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Vascular Biology Therapeutics Program, New Haven, USA.
Purpose Of Review:
Considerable progress has been made in the field of stem cell research; nonetheless, the use of stem cells for regenerative medicine therapies, for either endogenous tissue repair or cellular grafts post injury, remains a challenge. To better understand how to maintain stem cell potential in vivo and promote differentiation ex vivo, it is fundamentally important to elucidate the interactions between stem cells and their surrounding partners within their distinct niches.
Recent Findings:
Among the vast array of proteins depicted as mediators for cell-to-cell interactions, connexin-comprised gap junctions play pivotal roles in the regulation of stem cell fate both in vivo and in vitro.
Summary:
This review summarizes and illustrates the current knowledge regarding the multifaceted roles of Cx43, specifically, in various stem cell niches.
Related Concept Videos
Stem Cell Niche
Ecological Niches
Multipotency and Niche of Bulge Stem Cell
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Adult Stem Cells

