The mammalian pannexin family is homologous to the invertebrate innexin gap junction proteins.
We have cloned the genes PANX1, PANX2 and PANX3, encoding putative gap junction proteins homologous to invertebrate innexins, which constitute a new family of mammalian proteins called pannexins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that pannexins are highly conserved in worms, mollusks, insects and mammals, pointing to their important function. Both innexins and pannexins are predicted to have four transmembrane regions, two extracellular loops, one intracellular loop and intracellular N and C termini. Both the human and mouse genomes contain three pannexin-encoding genes. Mammalian pannexins PANX1 and PANX3 are closely related, with PANX2 more distant. The human and mouse pannexin-1 mRNAs are ubiquitously, although disproportionately, expressed in normal tissues. Human PANX2 is a brain-specific gene; its mouse orthologue, Panx2, is also expressed in certain cell types in developing brain. In silico evaluation of Panx3 expression predicts gene expression in osteoblasts and synovial fibroblasts. The apparent conservation of pannexins between species merits further investigation.
Baranova
Ancha
A
Vavilov Institute of General Genetics RAS, Gubkina str., 3 GSP-1, Moscow 119991, Russia. abaranov@gmu.edu
Ivanov
Dmitry
D
Petrash
Nadezda
N
Pestova
Anya
A
Skoblov
Mikhail
M
Kelmanson
Ilya
I
Shagin
Dmitry
D
Nazarenko
Svetlana
S
Geraymovych
Elena
E
Litvin
Oxana
O
Tiunova
Anya
A
Born
Timothy L
TL
Usman
Natalia
N
Staroverov
Dmitry
D
Lukyanov
Sergey
S
Panchin
Yury
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005091:Exons; D017629:Gap Junctions; D015723:Gene Library; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007438:Introns; D051379:Mice; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D018075:RNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D017630:Connexins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C492764:PANX1 protein, human; C492765:PANX2 protein, human; C492766:PANX3 protein, human; C516139:Panx2 protein, mouse; D018075:RNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger