Gap Junctions: Their Presence and Necessity in Myometrium During Parturition

Garfield, R. E.; Sims, Stephen M.; Daniel, E. E.

doi:10.1126/science.929182

Cited by 316 publications

(152 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…2) (Laird, Puranam, & Revel, 1993;Musil & Goodenough, 1991;Solan, Fry, TenBroek, & Lampe, 2003). Evidence for the acute regulation of gap junction assembly/disassembly can be found in the myometrium where gap junctions are necessary for the synchronization of electrical and metabolic activities of smooth muscle contractions during delivery (Garfield, Sims, & Daniel, 1977). A 5-10-fold increase in Cx43 mRNA and protein levels was detected immediately prior to and during labor.…”

Section: The Life Cycle Of Cx43 In Homeostatic Cellsmentioning

confidence: 85%

The effects of connexin phosphorylation on gap junctional communication

Lampe

Lau

2004

The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

543

463

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Gap junctions are specialized membrane domains composed of collections of channels that directly connect neighboring cells providing for the cell-to-cell diffusion of small molecules, including ions, amino acids, nucleotides, and second messengers. Vertebrate gap junctions are composed of proteins encoded by the "connexin" gene family. In most cases examined, connexins are modified posttranslationally by phosphorylation. Phosphorylation has been implicated in the regulation of gap junctional communication at several stages of the connexin "lifecycle", such as the trafficking, assembly/disassembly, degradation, as well as, the gating of gap junction channels. Since connexin43 (Cx43) is widely expressed in tissues and cell lines, we understand the most about how it is regulated, and thus, connexin43 phosphorylation is a major focus of this review. Recent reports utilizing new methodologies combined with the latest genome information have shown that activation of several kinases including protein kinase A, protein kinase C, p34 cdc2 /cyclin B kinase, casein kinase 1, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and pp60 src kinase can lead to phosphorylation at 12 of the 21 serine and two of the six tyrosine residues in the C-terminal region of connexin43. In several cases, use of site-directed mutants of these sites have shown that these specific phosphorylation events can be linked to changes in gap junctional communication.

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Section: The Life Cycle Of Cx43 In Homeostatic Cellsmentioning

confidence: 85%

The effects of connexin phosphorylation on gap junctional communication

Lampe

Lau

2004

The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology

543

463

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“…Gap junctions, used for inter cell communication, develop progressively with duration of pregnancy and play an important role in the electrical evolution of the myometrium [5,6]. Action potentials have ability to spread unchanged trough gap junctions from one to another myometrial cell, causing increased and organized electrical activity [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Placental site does not change background uterine electromyographic activity in the middle trimester of pregnancy

Grgić

Matijević

Vasilj

2006

European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductiv

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“…GJA1 is the major myometrial gap junction that facilitates intracellular propagation of electrical impulses (Willecke et al 2002) and synchronised myometrial contractions. As a consequence, GJA1 is up-regulated following the onset of labour and during delivery (Garfield et al 1977, 1995, Chow & Lye 1994, Orsino et al 1996. GJA1 plays a key role in parturition as its myometrial loss leads to defects in physiological coordination of uterine contractions, and labour is subsequently prolonged (Cluff et al 2006, Doring et al 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet on markers of uterine contractility during parturition in the rat

Elmes

Tan²,

Cheng³

et al. 2011

Reproduction

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Increasing levels of obesity within women of reproductive age is a major concern in the UK. Approximately, 13% of women aged !30 and 22% of 31-to 40-year-old women are obese. Obesity increases complications during pregnancy and the risk of caesarean section due to prolonged labour and poor uterine activity. The aim was to investigate whether a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet decreases markers of uterine contractility during parturition in the rat. Female Wistar rats were fed control (CON, nZ10) or HFHC (nZ10) diets for 6 weeks. Animals were mated and, once pregnant, maintained on their diet throughout gestation. On gestational day 19, rats were monitored continuously and killed at the onset of parturition. Body and fat depot weights were recorded. Myometrial tissue was analysed for cholesterol (CHOL), triglycerides (TAG), and expression of the contractile associated proteins gap junction protein alpha 1 (GJA1; also known as connexin-43, CX-43), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2; also known as cyclo-oxygenase-2, COX-2) and caveolin-1 (CAV1) and maternal plasma for prostaglandin F 2a (PGF 2a ) and progesterone. HFHC fed rats gained greater weight than CON (P!0.003) with significant increases in peri-renal fat (P!0.01). The HFHC diet increased plasma CHOL, TAG and progesterone, but decreased PGF 2a versus CON (P!0.01, P!0.01, PZ0.05 and P!0.02 respectively). Total CHOL and TAG levels of uterine tissue were similar. However, HFHC fed rats showed significant increases in PTGS2 (P!0.037), but decreases in GJA1 and CAV1 (PZ0.059). In conclusion, a HFHC diet significantly increases body weight and alters lipid profiles that correlate with decreases in key markers of uterine contractility. Further work is required to ascertain whether these changes have adverse effects on uterine activity.

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Gap Junctions: Their Presence and Necessity in Myometrium During Parturition

Cited by 316 publications

References 11 publications

The effects of connexin phosphorylation on gap junctional communication

The effects of connexin phosphorylation on gap junctional communication

Placental site does not change background uterine electromyographic activity in the middle trimester of pregnancy

The effects of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet on markers of uterine contractility during parturition in the rat

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