Functional heterotypic interactions between astrocyte and oligodendrocyte connexins.
Human genetic diseases and mouse knockouts illustrate that the maintenance of central nervous system myelin requires connexin expression by both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Because these cell types express nonoverlapping sets of connexins, the intercellular channels formed between them must be asymmetric with regard to connexin content, defined as heterotypic. Here, we show that oligodendrocyte Cx47 can form heterotypic channels with astrocyte Cx43 or Cx30 but not Cx26, whereas oligodendrocyte Cx32 can functionally interact with astrocyte Cx30 or Cx26 but not Cx43. Thus, as many as four types of intercellular channels could be formed between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.
Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Laura M
LM
Magnotti
Daniel A
DA
Goodenough
David L
DL
Paul
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D017630:Connexins; C000607042:GJB2 protein, human; D000072259:Connexin 26