title: Minireview: regulation of gap junction dynamics by nuclear hormone receptors and their ligands.
abstract: Gap junctions are plasma membrane channels comprising connexin proteins that mediate intercellular permeability and communication. The presence, composition, and function of gap junctions can be regulated by diverse sets of physiological signals. Evidence from many hormone-responsive tissues has shown that connexin expression, modification, stability, and localization can be targeted by nuclear hormone receptors and their ligands through both transcriptional and nontranscriptional mechanisms. The focus of this review is to discuss molecular, cellular, and physiological studies that directly link receptor- and ligand-triggered signaling pathways to the regulation of gap junction dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, 591 LSA, The University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-3200, USA. glfire@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Gary L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Firestone
authors.forename: Bhumika J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kapadia
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D008024:Ligands; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear