Connexins are ubiquitous channel forming proteins that assemble as plasma membrane
hemichannels and as intercellular gap junction channels that directly connect cells. In the …

Gap junctions are essential to the function of multicellular animals, which require a high
degree of coordination between cells. In vertebrates, gap junctions comprise connexins and …

Acupuncture has been accepted to effectively treat chronic pain by inserting needles into the
specific “acupuncture points”(acupoints) on the patient's body. During the last decades, our …

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has been well established as an important extracellular
ligand of autocrine signaling, intercellular communication, and neurotransmission with …

Three family members compose the pannexin family of channel-forming glycoproteins
(Panx1, Panx2 and Panx3). Their primary function is defined by their capacity to form single …

Evaluation of the human genome suggests that all members of the connexin family of gap-
junction proteins have now been successfully identified. This large and diverse family of …

Glutamate released by activated microglia induces excitoneurotoxicity and may contribute to
neuronal damage in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson …

Connexins are a family of transmembrane proteins that play a key role in cardiac physiology.
Gap junctional channels put into contact the cytoplasms of connected cardiomyocytes …

Intercellular calcium (Ca2+) waves (ICWs) represent the propagation of increases in
intracellular Ca2+ through a syncytium of cells and appear to be a fundamental mechanism …

Reperfusion may induce additional cell death in patients with acute myocardial infarction
receiving primary angioplasty or thrombolysis. Altered intracellular Ca2+ handling was …