title: The lung communication network.
abstract: The different types of cells in the lung, from the conducting airway epithelium to the alveolar epithelium and the pulmonary vasculature, are interconnected by gap junctions. The specific profile of gap junction proteins, the connexins, expressed in these different cell types forms compartments of intercellular communication that can be further shaped by the release of extracellular nucleotides via pannexin1 channels. In this review, we focus on the physiology of connexins and pannexins and describe how this lung communication network modulates lung function and host defenses in conductive and respiratory airways.
authors.affiliation: Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Losa
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chanson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins