Title:A Review of Gap Junction Protein and its Potential Role in Nervous System-Related Disease
Volume: 30
Issue: 11
Author(s): Qiong Xiang, Xiao-Lin Liu, Jia-Jia Chen, Liang Yang, Li-Ni Liu, Jing Deng, Jia-Sheng Tao and Xian-Hui Li*
Affiliation:
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jishou University, Hunan, China.
Keywords:
Gap junction, connexin, genetic diseases, nervous system, apoptosis, cell proliferation, carcinogenesis.
Abstract: Gap junction (GJ) is a special cell membrane structure composed of connexin. Connexin
is widely distributed and expressed in all tissues except differentiated skeletal muscle, red
blood cells, and mature sperm cells, which is related to the occurrence of many genetic diseases
due to its mutation. Its function of regulating immune response, cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis,
and carcinogenesis makes it a therapeutic target for a variety of diseases. In this paper, the
possible mechanism of its action in nervous system-related diseases and treatment are reviewed.