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Connexins: junctional and non-junctional modulators of proliferation

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Abstract

Mounting evidence indicates that dysregulation of gap junctions and their structural subunits—connexins—often occurs in, and sometimes causes, a variety of proliferative disorders, including cancer. Connexin-mediated regulation of cell proliferation is complex and may involve modulation of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC), hemichannel signalling, or gap junction-independent paths. However, the exact mechanisms linking connexins to proliferation remain poorly defined and a number of contradictory studies report both pro- and anti-proliferative effects, effects that often depend on the cell or tissue type or the microenvironment. The present review covers junctional and non-junctional regulation of proliferation by connexins, with a particular emphasis on their association with cancer.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Scott Robert Johnstone, Dr. Kevin Clayton, and Cláudia Salat Canela for commenting on and contributing to this article. I thank Teresa Moliné Marimon for assistance with Fig. 2. This work has been supported by funding to Trond Aasen from Instituto de Salud Carlos III grant PI13/00763 and grant CP10/00624, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

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Aasen, T. Connexins: junctional and non-junctional modulators of proliferation. Cell Tissue Res 360, 685–699 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-014-2078-3

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