title: Absence of connexin43 and connexin45 does not disturb pre- and peri-implantation development.
abstract: Gap junctional intercellular communication is assumed to play an important role during pre- and peri-implantation development. In this study, we eliminated connexin43 (Cx43) and connexin45 (Cx45), major gap junctional proteins in the pre- and peri-implantation embryo. We generated Cx43 -/- Cx45 -/- embryos by Cx43 +/- Cx45 +/- intercrossing, because mice deficient in Cx43 (Cx43 -/-) exhibit perinatal lethality and those deficient in Cx45 (Cx45 -/-) exhibit early embryonic lethality. Wild-type, Cx43 -/-, Cx45 -/-, and Cx43 -/- Cx45 -/- blastocysts all showed similar outgrowths in in vitro culture. Moreover, Cx43 -/- Cx45 -/- embryos were obtained at the expected Mendelian ratio up to embryonic day 9.5, when the Cx45 -/- mutation proved lethal. The Cx43 -/- Cx45 -/- embryos seemed to have no additional developmental abnormalities in comparison with the single knockout strains. Thus, pre- and peri-implantation development does not require Cx43 and Cx45. Other gap junctional proteins are expressed around these stages and these may compensate for the lack of Cx43 and Cx45.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology,National Defense Medical College,3-2 Namiki,Tokorozawa,Saitama 359-8513,Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyomasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishii
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology,National Defense Medical College,3-2 Namiki,Tokorozawa,Saitama 359-8513,Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Fukuoka Prefectural University,4395 Ita,Tagawa,Fukuoka 825-8585,Japan.
authors.forename: Yosaburo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D017630:Connexins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005838:Genotype; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D017630:Connexins; C082920:connexin 45
keywords: Blastocyst culture; Connexin43; Connexin45; Knockout; Peri-implantation development