Although the chemical nature of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) remains elusive, electrophysiological evidence exists for electrical communication between smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells suggesting that electrotonic propagation of hyperpolarization may explain the failure to identify a single chemical factor as EDHF. Anatomical evidence for myoendothelial gap junctio...

Although the chemical nature of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) remains elusive, electrophysiological evidence exists for electrical communication between smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells suggesting that electrotonic propagation of hyperpolarization may explain the failure to identify a single chemical factor as EDHF. Anatomical evidence for myoendothelial gap junctio...

Information processing in the retina starts at the first synaptic layer, where photoreceptors and second-order neurons exhibit a complex architecture of glutamatergic and electrical synapses. To investigate the composition of this highly organized synaptic network, we determined the spatial relationship of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) with different connexins (Cx) and glutamate receptor (GluR) sub...

We investigated age-associated changes in retinal astrocyte connexins (Cx) by assaying Cx numbers, plaque sizes, protein expression levels and heterogeneity of gap junctions utilizing six-marker immunohistochemistry (IHC). We compared Wistar rat retinal wholemounts in animals aged 3 (young adult), 9 (middle-aged) and 22 months (aged). We determined that retinal astrocytes have gap junctions com...

The bioluminescent scales of the polynoid worm Acholoe are covered by a dorsal and ventral monolayer of epithelium. The luminous activity is intracellular and arises from the ventral epithelial cells, which are modified as photocytes. Photogenic and non-photogenic epithelial cells have been examined with regard to intercellular junctions and electrophysiological properties. Desmosomes, septate ...

The importance of connexins (Cxs) in cochlear functions has been demonstrated by the finding that mutations in Cx genes cause a large proportion of sensorineural hearing loss cases. However, it is still unclear how Cxs contribute to the cochlear function. Recent data (33) obtained from Cx30 knockout mice showing that a reduction of Cx diversity in assembling gap junctions is sufficient to cause...

In vitro cultured cells are connected by different membrane junctions which may serve as a matrix for the monolayer, but which may also enable intercellu­ lar communication. Some of these intercellular infor­ mation exchanges may be detected by ionic coupling between the cells through so-called “low-resistance junctions” . Gilula and cow orkers1, for instance, have shown that metabolic cooperat...

Gap junctions contain numerous channels that are clustered in apposed membrane patches of adjacent cells. These cell-to-cell channels are formed by pairing of two hemichannels or connexons, and are also referred to as connexon pairs. We have investigated various detergents for their ability to separately solubilize hemichannels or connexon pairs from isolated ovine lens fiber membranes. The sol...

The intercellular junctions of the epithelium lining the hepatic caecum of Daphnia were examined. Electron microscope investigations involved both conventionally fixed material and tissue exposed to a lanthanum tracer of the extracellular space. Both septate junctions and gap junctions occur between the cells studied. The septate junctions lie apically and resemble those commonly discerned betw...

Mouse livers were perfused in situ through the portal vein with the disaccharides sucrose, lactose, maltose, and cellobiose in hypertonic concentrations (0.5 M). This treatment resulted in plasmolysis of the hepatocytes and splitting of the gap junctions and zonulae occludentes. The junctions split symmetrically, leaving a half-junction on each of the two separated cells. The process of junctio...