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Increasing Gap Junctional Coupling: A Tool for Dissecting the Role of Gap Junctions

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Abstract

Much of our current knowledge about the physiological and pathophysiological role of gap junctions is based on experiments where coupling has been reduced by either chemical agents or genetic modification. This has brought evidence that gap junctions are important in many physiological processes. In a number of cases, gap junctions have been implicated in the initiation and progress of disease, and experimental uncoupling has been used to investigate the exact role of coupling. The inverse approach, i.e., to increase coupling, has become possible in recent years and represents a new way of testing the role of gap junctions. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge obtained with agents that selectively increase gap junctional intercellular coupling. Two approaches will be reviewed: increasing coupling by the use of antiarrhythmic peptide and its synthetic analogs and by interfering with the gating of gap junctional channels.

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Acknowledgement

N-.H. H-.R. and M. S. N. were supported by grants from the Danish National Research Foundation, The John and Birthe Meyer Foundation, The Danish Heart Association and The A. P. Møller Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zealand Pharma A/S, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark

    Lene Nygaard Axelsen, Martin Stahlhut, Anne-Louise Kjølbye & Jørgen Søberg Petersen

  2. Department of Cardiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark

    Ketil Haugan

  3. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Research, Wyeth Research, Collegeville, PA, USA

    James K. Hennan

  4. Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia at Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, Building 10.5, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark

    Niels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou & Morten Schak Nielsen

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  1. Lene Nygaard Axelsen
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  2. Ketil Haugan
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  4. Anne-Louise Kjølbye
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Correspondence to Morten Schak Nielsen.

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Axelsen, L.N., Haugan, K., Stahlhut, M. et al. Increasing Gap Junctional Coupling: A Tool for Dissecting the Role of Gap Junctions. J Membrane Biol 216, 23–35 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-007-9026-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-007-9026-z

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