ABSTRACT
Gap junction intercellular communications (GJIC) are fundamental mechanisms for the maintenance of the cellular homeostatic balance. GJIC are involved in almost every aspect of cellular life, particularly those related to the control of proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell death. Other important biological processes such as regulation of gene expression or antigen cross-presentation also require the participation of Cxs and gap junctions (GJs) (Krysko et al., 2005; Vinken et al., 2006; Rodríguez-Sinovas et al., 2007; Neijssen et al., 2007). Variations of normal levels of Cxs have been observed in many human diseases, which have common feature alterations in intercellular communications, apoptosis regulation and cellular proliferation. Typical examples of such disease are cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, and ischemia (Lin et al., 1998; Trosko and Chang, 2000).
