Gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell communication in bovine and human adrenal cells. A process whereby cells increase their responsiveness to physiological corticotropin concentrations.

Munari-Silem, Yvonne; Lebrethon, Marie-Christine; Morand, I.; Rousset, Bernard; Saez, J.M.

doi:10.1172/jci117813

Cited by 71 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Most of this evidence comes from in vitro studies of primary cell cultures or cell lines (Murray & Fletcher 1984, Bouille et al 1991, Baldwin & Calabrese 1994, Munari-Silem et al 1995, Veenstra 1996, Willecke & Haubrich 1996, Tomai et al 1999. Because cell functions in cultures of immortalized cell lines are, by definition, significantly altered as are the three-dimensional relationships of primary cells in culture compared with the intact gland, assessment of in vivo conditions is often compromised.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is true for bovine adrenal cells either transfected with 1 Cx43 antisense cDNA or treated with the gap junction communication inhibitor, 18-glycerrhetinic acid (Munari-Silem et al 1995, Shah & Murray 2001 and also applies to a mouse adrenal tumor cell line maintained in culture in which loss of gap junction functionality parallels loss of ACTH-stimulated steroid production (Decker et al 1978). Conversely, ACTH treatment increases both gap junction protein number and steroidogenesis in adrenal cell cultures (Decker 1976, Decker et al 1978, Oyoyo et al 1997, Shah & Murray 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Gap junction proteins and cell-cell communication in the three functional zones of the adrenal gland

Davis

Prentice

Murray

2002

Journal of Endocrinology

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Mouse and monkey adrenal glands were used to study the relationships between gap junction protein expression, intercellular communication and adrenal zonation. Dye communication patterns were determined by incubating freshly excised and hemisected adrenal glands in Lucifer yellow, a gap junction permeable fluorescent dye. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to localize adrenal gap junction proteins. The combination of these two techniques permitted the correlation of gap junction proteins with dye transfer and hormone responses in specialized regions of the adrenal cortex. Lucifer yellow dye communication was most pronounced in the inner glucocorticoid/androgen-producing regions (zona fasciculata/zona reticularis), but was virtually absent in the outer mainly mineralocorticoid-producing region (zona glomerulosa). This pattern of dye communication was coincident with immunohistochemical localization of the gap junction protein, 1 Cx43. The variations in communication and 1 Cx43 expression within the adrenal cortex are thought to be relevant to normal physiological regulation of the adrenal gland.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Gap junction proteins and cell-cell communication in the three functional zones of the adrenal gland

Davis

Prentice

Murray

2002

Journal of Endocrinology

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“…Furthermore, as it had been reported that gap junction communication could be blocked by GA treatment in a number of different cell types (Davidson & Baumgarten 1988, Hirata et al 1998, Bani-Yaghoub et al 1999, including adrenal cortical cells (Munari-Silem et al 1995), we examined the effect of GA on gap junction protein concentrations and on the ACTHinduced changes in the amounts of gap junction proteins.…”

Section: Connexin 43 Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In previous studies it has been shown that GA treatment disrupts gap junction functions, as measured by cell-to-cell transfer of dye (Hirata et al 1998, Bani-Yaghoub et al 1999) and electrical coupling (Yamamoto et al 1998, Santicioli & Maggi 2000, while simultaneously decreasing steroid production in adrenal cell cultures (Munari-Silem et al 1995). In this study we have tested the hypothesis that the inability to form gap junctions after antisense transfection would also have disruptive effects on steroid production and cell population growth, and that such effects would be similar to those produced by GA treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Bimodal inhibition of connexin 43 gap junctions decreases ACTH-induced steroidogenesis and increases bovine adrenal cell population growth

Shah

Murray

2001

Journal of Endocrinology

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In order to elucidate the role of gap junctions in adrenal cell responses, we measured the effect of inhibiting gap junctions with 18-glycerrhetinic acid (GA; a potent inhibitor of cell-cell communication) and connexin antisense transfection on cell proliferation and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)-stimulated steroidogenesis. In these experiments we utilized a bovine adrenocortical cell (SBAC) population, which responds to ACTH treatment with a dose-dependent increase in steroid production, an increase in connexin 43 ( 1 -Cx43) gap junction protein concentrations, and a decrease in cell population growth. SBAC cell populations treated with GA had increased growth rates, decreased ACTH-stimulated steroidogenesis, but no reduction in 1 -Cx43 gap junction protein contents. In contrast, when SBAC cells were transfected with 1 -Cx43 antisense cDNA, gap junction protein concentration was dramatically reduced as expected, unlike the GA-treated cell populations. Cell populations transfected with 1 -Cx43-antisense also exhibited increased growth rates and a decreased steroidogenic response to ACTH treatment as compared with control or vector-only transfected cell populations. The decreased responsiveness and increased number of cells in the population after gap junction function was decreased by either GA treatment or antisense transfection, suggests that gap junctions may be necessary factors in ACTH-stimulated responsiveness and growth control in the adrenal gland.

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“…In Beta cells in Langerhan's islets, the overexpression of Cx43 leads to an augmented secretion of insulin (16), whereas in adrenal cells an inhibitor of gap junction communication diminishes cortisol secretion (17).…”

Section: General Aspects Of Gap Junction Modulation By Extracellular mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gap junction modulation by extracellular signaling molecules: the thymus model

Alves

Nihei

Fonseca

et al. 2000

Braz J Med Biol Res

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Gap junctions are intercellular channels which connect adjacent cells and allow direct exchange of molecules of low molecular weight between them. Such a communication has been described as fundamental in many systems due to its importance in coordination, proliferation and differentiation. Recently, it has been shown that gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) can be modulated by several extracellular soluble factors such as classical hormones, neurotransmitters, interleukins, growth factors and some paracrine substances. Herein, we discuss some aspects of the general modulation of GJIC by extracellular messenger molecules and more particularly the regulation of such communication in the thymus gland. Additionally, we discuss recent data concerning the study of different neuropeptides and hormones in the modulation of GJIC in thymic epithelial cells. We also suggest that the thymus may be viewed as a model to study the modulation of gap junction communication by different extracellular messengers involved in non-classical circuits, since this organ is under bidirectional neuroimmunoendocrine control.

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Gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell communication in bovine and human adrenal cells. A process whereby cells increase their responsiveness to physiological corticotropin concentrations.

Cited by 71 publications

References 51 publications

Gap junction proteins and cell-cell communication in the three functional zones of the adrenal gland

Gap junction proteins and cell-cell communication in the three functional zones of the adrenal gland

Bimodal inhibition of connexin 43 gap junctions decreases ACTH-induced steroidogenesis and increases bovine adrenal cell population growth

Gap junction modulation by extracellular signaling molecules: the thymus model

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