Connexins in salivary glands.
Connexins (Cxs) make up a family of gap junction structural proteins that form hexameric assemblies in the plasma membranes of adjacent cells that interact to form intercellular channels. It has been demonstrated that many kinds of CXs are differentially expressed in a variety of tissues; however, there have been only a few studies of CX expression in rat salivary glands. The co-localization of CX26 and 32 was examined in the parotid glands. Double immunofluorescence revealed that CX26 and 32 were present in the same gap junction. Double immuno-electron microscopy showed co-localization of both CX26 and 32 on the same gap junctional membranes between acinar cells. These results suggest that CX26 and 32 may participate in regulation of secretory function and permeability of acinar cells in the rat parotid glands.
Shimono
M
M
Department of Pathology, Tokyo Dental College, Tokyo, Japan. shimono@tdc.ac.jp
Young Lee
C
C
Matsuzaki
H
H
Ishikawa
H
H
Inoue
T
T
Hashimoto
S
S
Muramatsu
T
T
D000818:Animals; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D051381:Rats; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D017630:Connexins