title: Molecular diversity of connexin and pannexin genes in the retina of the zebrafish Danio rerio.
abstract: Gap junctions are among the most widely distributed cell structures involved in cell-to-cell communication. Recently completed genome sequencing projects including species from all major phyla have demonstrated the existence of three distinct gene families, the connexins, pannexins, and innexins, as molecular building blocks of gap junctional communication. In the present study, the authors have addressed the molecular complexity of gap junction gene expression in the zebrafish retina, a remarkably complex sensory organ built by diverse neuronal subtypes. Using a combination of cDNA library and genomic DNA library screening and/or RACE technology, the authors have cloned, in addition to the four previously reported connexins, seven novel connexins and four pannexin transcripts resembling two pannexin genes. This result demonstrates the presence of two distinct gap junction type gene families and indicates a remarkable molecular and functional diversity of gap junction-mediated coupling in the fish retina.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroanatomy and Molecular Brain Research, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. georg.zoidl@rub.de
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zoidl
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoidl
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bunse
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dermietzel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; D020033:Protein Isoforms