title: Study of Gap Junctions in Human Embryonic Stem Cells.
abstract: Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been described in different cell types including stem cells and has been involved in different biological events. GJIC is required for mouse embryonic stem cell maintenance and proliferation and various studies suggest that functional GJIC is a common characteristic of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) maintained in different culture conditions. This chapter introduces methods to study gap junctions in hESC, from expression of gap junction proteins to functional study of GJIC in hESC proliferation, apoptosis, colony growth, and pluripotency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, University of Melbourne, Level 1 RVEEH, 32 Gisborne Street, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia, apebay@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pébay
authors.forename: Raymond C B
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D010766:Phosphorylation; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; D012333:RNA, Messenger