title: Increasing gap junctional coupling: a tool for dissecting the role of gap junctions.
abstract: Much of our current knowledge about the physiological and pathophysiological role of gap junctions is based on experiments where coupling has been reduced by either chemical agents or genetic modification. This has brought evidence that gap junctions are important in many physiological processes. In a number of cases, gap junctions have been implicated in the initiation and progress of disease, and experimental uncoupling has been used to investigate the exact role of coupling. The inverse approach, i.e., to increase coupling, has become possible in recent years and represents a new way of testing the role of gap junctions. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge obtained with agents that selectively increase gap junctional intercellular coupling. Two approaches will be reviewed: increasing coupling by the use of antiarrhythmic peptide and its synthetic analogs and by interfering with the gating of gap junctional channels.
authors.affiliation: Zealand Pharma A/S, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lene Nygaard
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Axelsen
authors.forename: Ketil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haugan
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stahlhut
authors.forename: Anne-Louise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kjølbye
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hennan
authors.forename: Niels-Henrik
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Holstein-Rathlou
authors.forename: Jørgen Søberg
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Morten Schak
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating / Q000187:drug effects; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: C090806:AAP 10; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D018031:Connexin 43; D009842:Oligopeptides; C477643:rotigaptide