title: Intracellular Cleavage of the Cx43 C-Terminal Domain by Matrix-Metalloproteases: A Novel Contributor to Inflammation?
abstract: The coordination of tissue function is mediated by gap junctions (GJs) that enable direct cell-cell transfer of metabolic and electric signals. GJs are formed by connexin (Cx) proteins of which Cx43 is most widespread in the human body. Beyond its role in direct intercellular communication, Cx43 also forms nonjunctional hemichannels (HCs) in the plasma membrane that mediate the release of paracrine signaling molecules in the extracellular environment. Both HC and GJ channel function are regulated by protein-protein interactions and posttranslational modifications that predominantly take place in the C-terminal domain of Cx43. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are a major group of zinc-dependent proteases, known to regulate not only extracellular matrix remodeling, but also processing of intracellular proteins. Together with Cx43 channels, both GJs and HCs, MMPs contribute to acute inflammation and a small number of studies reports on an MMP-Cx43 link. Here, we build further on these reports and present a novel hypothesis that describes proteolytic cleavage of the Cx43 C-terminal domain by MMPs and explores possibilities of how such cleavage events may affect Cx43 channel function. Finally, we set out how aberrant channel function resulting from cleavage can contribute to the acute inflammatory response during tissue injury.
authors.affiliation: Physiology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Bock
authors.affiliation: Physiology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Physiology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Decrock
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Signaling, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bultynck
authors.affiliation: Physiology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leybaert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases