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Article

Visualization of Annular Gap Junction Vesicle Processing: The Interplay Between Annular Gap Junctions and Mitochondria

1
Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
2
Department of Biology, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010044
Received: 3 December 2018 / Revised: 15 December 2018 / Accepted: 20 December 2018 / Published: 22 December 2018
(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Biology)
It is becoming clear that in addition to gap junctions playing a role in cell–cell communication, gap junction proteins (connexins) located in cytoplasmic compartments may have other important functions. Mitochondrial connexin 43 (Cx43) is increased after ischemic preconditioning and has been suggested to play a protective role in the heart. How Cx43 traffics to the mitochondria and the interactions of mitochondria with other Cx43-containing structures are unclear. In this study, immunocytochemical, super-resolution, and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structures and to demonstrate their interactions with other cytoplasmic organelles. The most prominent cytoplasmic Cx43-containing structures—annular gap junctions—were demonstrated to form intimate associations with lysosomes as well as with mitochondria. Surprisingly, the frequency of associations between mitochondria and annular gap junctions was greater than that between lysosomes and annular gap junctions. The benefits of annular gap junction/mitochondrial associations are not known. However, it is tempting to suggest, among other possibilities, that the contact between annular gap junction vesicles and mitochondria facilitates Cx43 delivery to the mitochondria. Furthermore, it points to the need for investigating annular gap junctions as more than only vesicles destined for degradation. View Full-Text
Keywords: gap junction; connexin; annular gap junction vesicle; mitochondria; lysosome gap junction; connexin; annular gap junction vesicle; mitochondria; lysosome
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MDPI and ACS Style

Bell, C.L.; Shakespeare, T.I.; Smith, A.R.; Murray, S.A. Visualization of Annular Gap Junction Vesicle Processing: The Interplay Between Annular Gap Junctions and Mitochondria. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20, 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010044

AMA Style

Bell CL, Shakespeare TI, Smith AR, Murray SA. Visualization of Annular Gap Junction Vesicle Processing: The Interplay Between Annular Gap Junctions and Mitochondria. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019; 20(1):44. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010044

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bell, Cheryl L., Teresa I. Shakespeare, Amber R. Smith, and Sandra A. Murray. 2019. "Visualization of Annular Gap Junction Vesicle Processing: The Interplay Between Annular Gap Junctions and Mitochondria" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20, no. 1: 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010044

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