title: Fusion of GFP to the carboxyl terminus of connexin43 increases gap junction size in HeLa cells.
abstract: The pattern of gap junctional coupling between cells is thought to be important for the proper function of many types of tissues. At present, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that control the size and distribution of gap junctions. We addressed this issue by expressing connexin43 (Cx43) constructs in HeLa cells, a connexin-deficient cell line. HeLa cells expressing exogenously introduced wild-type Cx43 formed small, punctate gap junctions. By contrast, cells expressing Cx43-GFP formed large, sheet-like gap junctions. These results suggest that the GFP tag, which is fused to the carboxyl terminus of Cx43, alters gap junction size by masking the carboxyl terminal amino acids of Cx43 that comprise a zonula occludins-1 (ZO-1) binding site. We are currently testing this hypothesis using deletion and dominant-negative constructs that directly target the interaction between Cx43 and ZO-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Medical University of South Carolina, SC 29425, USA. huntera@musc.edu
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jourdan
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Gourdie
mesh_terms: D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins