Summary
Normal rat urinary bladder epithelial cells contain small subunit (PF-1) and large subunit (PF-2) gap junctions, whereas carcinoma cells only contain PF-1 gap junctions. The absence of PF-2 gap junctions, which are composed of larger connexons with slightly larger ionic channels, may contribute to altered metabolic coupling between urinary bladder carcinoma cells.
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Acknowledgments. The authors wish to thank Ms Denise Wiler and Mr William Leonard for expert technical assistance. This work was supported by funds from the National Cancer Institute, CA-25034, and in part by the Otho SA Sprague Memorial Institute.
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Pauli, B.U., Weinstein, R.S. Structure of gap junctions in cultures of normal and neoplastic bladder epithelial cells. Experientia 37, 248–250 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01991636
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01991636