title: Zebrafish cx30.3: identification and characterization of a gap junction gene highly expressed in the skin.
abstract: We have identified and characterized a zebrafish connexin, Cx30.3. Sequence similarity analyses suggested that Cx30.3 was orthologous to both mammalian Cx26 and Cx30, known to play important roles in the skin and inner ear of mammals. Analysis of mRNA expression showed that Cx30.3 was present in early embryos, and was highly abundant in skin, but also detected in other tissues including fins, inner ear, heart, and the retina. Injection of Cx30.3 cRNA into Xenopus oocytes elicited robust intercellular coupling with voltage gating sensitivity similar to mammalian Cx26 and Cx30. The similarities in functional properties and expression patterns suggest that Cx30.3, like mammalian Cx26 and Cx30, may play a significant role in skin development, hearing, and balance in zebrafish. Thus, zebrafish could potentially serve as an excellent model to study disorders of the skin and deafness that result from human connexin mutations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: DeRosa
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valdimarsson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012867:Skin / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; C000607042:GJB2 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D000072259:Connexin 26