title: Connexins: junctional and non-junctional modulators of proliferation.
abstract: Mounting evidence indicates that dysregulation of gap junctions and their structural subunits-connexins-often occurs in, and sometimes causes, a variety of proliferative disorders, including cancer. Connexin-mediated regulation of cell proliferation is complex and may involve modulation of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC), hemichannel signalling, or gap junction-independent paths. However, the exact mechanisms linking connexins to proliferation remain poorly defined and a number of contradictory studies report both pro- and anti-proliferative effects, effects that often depend on the cell or tissue type or the microenvironment. The present review covers junctional and non-junctional regulation of proliferation by connexins, with a particular emphasis on their association with cancer.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Pathology Group, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, Barcelona, 08035, Spain, trond.aasen@vhir.org.
authors.forename: Trond
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aasen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins