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The Role of Connexin 43 and Hemichannels Correlated with the Astrocytic Death Following Ischemia/Reperfusion Insult

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An Erratum to this article was published on 29 March 2013

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of connexin 43 (Cx43) and its hemichannel (HC1) in the death of astrocytes following ischemia/reperfusion (IR) or oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGDR) insult. Wistar rats had their bilateral common carotid artery clamped for 1.5 h followed by 0, 4, and 24 h of reperfusion (n = 8 for each time point), respectively. All rats were sacrificed and Cx43, HC1, and caspase 3 (Casp3) in cerebral ischemic tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Astrocytes cell line, astrocytes transduced with a retroviral empty vector (Psup astrocyte), or a Cx43-specific shRNA construct (shRNA astrocytes) were treated with OGDR insult for various periods. The viability of astrocytes was assessed by MTT assay. The expression of Cx43, HC1, and Casp3 was detected with western blotting. The results showed that the expression of Cx43, HC1, and Casp3 in rats’ brain, astrocytes, and Psup astrocytes was significantly increased after 4 h of IR/OGDR and recovered on 24 h of the insult. Cell viability decreased after 4 h of the insult whereas the cell viability increased on 24 h after the insult. In contrast, the expression of Cx43, HC1, Casp3, and cell viability had no statistical differences in the null Cx43 gene—shRNA transfected astrocytes after the treatment of OGDR. The results suggest that Cx43 and HC1 are likely to play the pivotal roles in the mediation of the astrocytic death.

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Acknowledgments

The technical assistance of Mr. Tim Robson (Department of cell and developmental biology, UCL) is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by Shandong Natural Foundation, China to Prof. A. Ma, and Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), UK for a Project Grant to D.L.B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China

    Xueyu Wang, Aihua Ma, Liping Zhu, Jiashui Xi, Xinying Zhang & Bojun Zhao

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Central Hospital of Jinan Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China

    Weiwei Zhu

  3. School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Yutian Zhao

  4. Department of Cell & Development Biology, University College London, London, UK

    David L. Becker

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  1. Xueyu Wang
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  2. Aihua Ma
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  3. Weiwei Zhu
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  4. Liping Zhu
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  5. Yutian Zhao
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  6. Jiashui Xi
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  7. Xinying Zhang
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  8. Bojun Zhao
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Correspondence to Aihua Ma.

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Xueyu Wang and Aihua Ma are co-first authors of this article.

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Wang, X., Ma, A., Zhu, W. et al. The Role of Connexin 43 and Hemichannels Correlated with the Astrocytic Death Following Ischemia/Reperfusion Insult. Cell Mol Neurobiol 33, 401–410 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-013-9906-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-013-9906-y

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