Gap junctions consisting of connexin 43 subunits provide intercellular communication between astrocytes, contributing to their function of maintaining the central nervous system (CNS) microenvironment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrate prolonged astrocyte swelling related to seizures, while in vitro studies show the disruption of intercellular coupling and the cytotoxic swell...

Triethyltin induces swelling of isolated rat liver mitochondria suspended in sucrose or KC1 media. This effect is not seen with brain mitochondria. Triethyltin swelling is only minimally reduced by EDTA or amytal but is prevented by 2 :Cdinitrophenol, cyanide or salicylate. The addition of adenosine trior diphosphate causes reversal of the swelling; this effect is potentiated by Mn2+ but not by...

By patch-clamp analysis, we have shown that chronic, intermittent mechanical strain (CMS) increases the activity of stretch-activated cation channels of osteoblast-like UMR-106.01 cells. CMS also produces a swelling-activated whole-cell conductance (Gm) regulated by varying strain levels. We questioned whether the swelling-activated conductance was produced by stretch-activated cation channel a...