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English

Connexins participate in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis

Contributors

Morel, Sandrine; Burnier, Laurent; Kwak, Brenda

Published in

Seminars in immunopathology, vol. 31, no. 1, p. 49-61

Collection

  • Open Access - Licence nationale Springer

Publication date

2009

Abstract

Connexins are members of a large family of transmembrane proteins that form hemichannels or gap junctions. These channels allow the exchange of ions and small metabolites between the cytosol and extracellular space or between neighboring cells. Connexins are important in vascular physiology; they support radial and longitudinal cell-to-cell communication in the vascular wall. Four connexins are expressed in the vascular wall: Cx37, Cx40, Cx43, and Cx45. Their expression is not uniform in all blood vessels and varies with vascular territory and species. Significant changes in the expression pattern of vascular connexins have been described during the development of atherosclerosis, a progressive inflammatory disease. In this review, we provide an overview of (1) the tools used to study the involvement of connexins in atherosclerosis, (2) the participation of connexins in atherogenesis, (3) the increasing interest of a polymorphism in the human connexin37 gene as marker of cardiovascular disease, and (4) the possible therapeutic implications of connexins.

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Atherosclerosis/genetics/immunology/metabolism/therapy
  • Biological Markers/metabolism
  • Cell Communication/immunology
  • Connexins/genetics/immunology/metabolism
  • Disease Progression
  • Gap Junctions/genetics/immunology/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Polymorphism, Genetic/immunology

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

MOREL, Sandrine, BURNIER, Laurent, KWAK, Brenda. Connexins participate in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. In: Seminars in immunopathology, 2009, vol. 31, n° 1, p. 49–61. doi: 10.1007/s00281-009-0147-6

Main files (1)

Article (Published version)

Identifiers

Additional URL for this publication

http://www.springerlink.com/content/m068g757k546j598/

Journal ISSN

1863-2297
709views
426downloads

Technical informations

Creation

24/03/2010 10:27:00

First validation

24/03/2010 10:27:00

Update

14/10/2025 07:02:34

Status update

02/04/2025 07:15:02

Last indexation

22/07/2026 10:52:17
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