Multifaceted Roles of Connexin 43 in Stem Cell Niches

Genet, Nafiisha; Bhatt, Neha; Bourdieu, Antonin; Hirschi, Karen K.

doi:10.1007/s40778-018-0110-3

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 151 publications

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“…Gap junctional communication is considered critical for the coordination of cellular functions within an epithelium. Studies have shown that Cx43 is implicated in various stem cell niches, or specialized microenvironments (Schofield, ; Genet et al ., ). Such microenvironments are essential for maintaining stem cells in a quiescent, self‐renewal, or activated state.…”

Section: Basal Cells As Potential Stem Cellsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Such microenvironments are essential for maintaining stem cells in a quiescent, self‐renewal, or activated state. Cx43 has been shown to regulate stem cell renewal in the brain, skin, bone marrow, mammary gland, and prostate (Genet et al ., ). While the role of Cx43 in maintaining basal cell renewal in the epididymis is unknown, it is nevertheless intriguing that in tissues where basal cells have been shown to act as stem cells, Cx43 plays a critical role in regulating stem cell renewal.…”

Section: Basal Cells As Potential Stem Cellsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Tissue regeneration and the epididymal stem cell

2019

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Background: In most pseudostratified epithelia, basal cells represent a multipotent adult stem cell population. These cells generally remain in a quiescent state, until they are stimulated to respond to tissue damage by initiating epithelial regeneration. In the epididymis, cell proliferation occurs at a relatively slow rate under normal physiological conditions. Epididymal basal cells have been shown to share common properties with multipotent adult stem cells. The development of organoids from stem cells represents a novel approach for understanding cellular differentiation and characterization of stem cells. Objective: To review the literature on tissue regeneration in the epididymis and demonstrate the presence of an epididymal stem cell population. Methods: PubMed database was searched for studies reporting on cell proliferation, regeneration, and stem cells in the epididymis. Three-dimensional cell culture of epididymal cells was used to determine whether these can develop into organoids in a similar fashion to stem cells from other tissues. Results: The epididymal epithelium can rapidly regenerate following orchidectomy or efferent duct ligation, in order to maintain epithelial integrity. Studies have isolated a highly purified fraction of rat epididymal basal cells and reported that these cells displayed properties similar to those of multipotent adult stem cells. In two-dimensional cell culture conditions, these cells differentiated into cells which expressed connexin 26, a marker of columnar cells, and cytokeratin 8. Furthermore, three-dimensional cell culture of epididymal cells resulted in the formation of organoids, a phenomenon associated with the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells in vitro. Conclusions: The rapid proliferation and tissue regeneration of the epididymal epithelium to preserve its integrity following tissue damage as well as the ability of cells to differentiate into organoids in vitro support the notion of a resident progenitor/stem cell population in the adult epididymis. Figure 7 (A) 3D cell culture of dispersed single epididymal cells. Bright-field images of epididymal spheres and organoids differentiated under 3D culture in Matrigel and a commercial cell culture medium (Prostacult, Stem cell Technologies, Vancouver, BC) supplemented with EGF, bFGF, and heparin. After 2 days of culture, two types of structures of <100 lm can be seen: 1. structures with irregular shape and; 2. spheres with a smooth outline. These structures then become more regular and can reach or exceed 100 lm in diameter after 4-6 days in culture. Scale bar, 100 lm. (B) Immunolocalization of Cx43 in a typical organoid following 11 days of culture. Cx43 is normally expressed in basal cells, and is shown to localize in the cells at the base of the organoid thereby indicating cell sorting and self-organization of the organoid. ANDROLOGY

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Section: Basal Cells As Potential Stem Cellsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Basal Cells As Potential Stem Cellsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Tissue regeneration and the epididymal stem cell

2019

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Section: бкэ как потенциальные взрослые стволовые клеткиunclassified

“…Cx43, экспрессируемый БКЭ, участвует в создании специализированного микроокружения для различных типов стволовых клеток [18]. Было установлено, что Cx43 регулирует обновление стволовых клеток в головном мозге, коже, костном мозге, молочной железе и простате [18]. Хотя роль Cx43 в обновлении БКЭ не установлена, известно, что в тканях, где базальные клетки действуют как стволовые клетки, Cx43 играет ключевую роль в регуляции обновления стволовых клеток.…”

Section: бкэ как потенциальные взрослые стволовые клеткиunclassified

To the Issue of Plasticity of Basal Cells of the Epididymal Epithelium

Sayapina¹,

Grishchenko²,

Zubov³

2019

AMJ

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“…In some tissues, such as the heart and uterus, these channels are of utmost importance for passing the electrical impulse from cell to cell, making these organs contract in a synchronized manner [30,31]. The channels are probably also involved in cellular homeostasis and growth control [32], possibly through interactions with numerous proteins involved in signaling and regulation [33][34][35]. Additionally, there are now strong indications that hemichannels are functional in their own right [36][37][38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogeny of teleost connexins reveals highly inconsistent intra- and interspecies use of nomenclature and misassemblies in recent teleost chromosome assemblies

Mikalsen

Tausen

Kongsstovu³

2019

Preprint

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Background: Based on an initial collecting of database sequences from the gap junction protein gene family (also called connexin genes) in a few teleosts, the naming of these sequences appeared variable. The reasons could be (i) that the structure in this family is variable across teleosts, or (ii) unfortunate naming. Rather clear rules for the naming of genes in fish and mammals have been outlined by nomenclature committees, including the naming of orthologous and ohnologous genes. We therefore analyzed the connexin gene family in teleosts in more detail. We covered the range of divergence times in teleosts (eel, Atlantic herring, zebrafish, Atlantic cod, three-spined stickleback, Japanese pufferfish and spotted pufferfish; listed from early divergence to late divergence). Results: The gene family pattern of connexin genes is similar across the analyzed teleosts. However, (i) several nomenclature systems are used, (ii) specific orthologous groups contain genes that are named differently in different species, (iii) several distinct genes have the same name in a species, and (iv) some genes have incorrect names. The latter includes a human connexin pseudogene, claimed as GJA4P, but which in reality is Cx39.2P (a delta subfamily gene often called GJD2like). We point out the ohnologous pairs of genes in teleosts, and we suggest a more consistent nomenclature following the outlined rules from the nomenclature committees. We further show that connexin sequences can indicate some errors in two high-quality chromosome assemblies that became available very recently. Conclusions: Minimal consistency exists in the present practice of naming teleost connexin genes. A consistent and unified nomenclature would be an advantage for future automatic annotations and would make various types of subsequent genetic analyses easier. Additionally, roughly 5% of the connexin sequences point out misassemblies in the new high-quality chromosome assemblies from herring and cod.

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Multifaceted Roles of Connexin 43 in Stem Cell Niches

Cited by 26 publications

References 151 publications

Tissue regeneration and the epididymal stem cell

Tissue regeneration and the epididymal stem cell

To the Issue of Plasticity of Basal Cells of the Epididymal Epithelium

Phylogeny of teleost connexins reveals highly inconsistent intra- and interspecies use of nomenclature and misassemblies in recent teleost chromosome assemblies

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