High impact information on LOC394450

• The alpha 1 and alpha 2 mRNAs encode proteins with different degrees of amino acid sequence similarity to the predominant gap junction subunit of the mammalian heart (connexin 43) [1].
• Expression of connexin-32 in one and connexin-43 in the other oocyte of a pair results in the formation of junctional conductances at rates similar to those observed when only one or the other connexin is expressed in both oocytes of a pair [2].
• Connexin 43 expression in glial cells of developing rhombomeres of Xenopus laevis [3].
• Cells of rhombomeric center regions and their processes in the outlying neuropil co-expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein and connexin 43 at a time that is characterized by the emergence of hindbrain auditory neural circuitry [3].
• Connexin 43 is a gap junctional protein found predominantly in astrocytes [3].

Biological context of LOC394450

• We used neural (2G9) and cell proliferation (BrdU) markers to identify the overall organization of Xenopus rhombomeres and then tracked expression of connexin 43 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, an intermediate filament protein known to mark glia during rhombomeric development [3].

Anatomical context of LOC394450

• The oocyte cell-cell channel assay was used to demonstrate that connexin-43 is a cell-cell channel-forming protein as previously shown for connexin-32 [2].
• Glial fibrillary acidic protein positive glial cells that appeared at rhombomeric boundaries never expressed connexin 43, but rather appeared to physically bisect ventricular convexities into adjacent rhombomeric regions [3].

References