Connexin43 (Cx43; also gap junction alpha-1 protein) is a 41 - 44 kDa member of the connexin family, alpha-type subfamily, of transmembrane proteins. It is the most common type of connexin in cardiac muscle cells, and also occurs in hepatocytes, astrocytes and ovary granulosa cells. It is a 4-transmembrane protein 382 amino acids (aa) in length that contains two cytoplasmic tails. One is 12 aa in length at the N-terminus and the second is 151 aa in length at the C-terminus. Human and rat Cx43 are 98% aa identical over the entire length of the molecule. Connexins form gap junctions (GJs) which are intercellular channels between cells. Each adjacent cell contributes to a functional channel. The fundamental unit is a “connexon”, or hemi-channel, which is composed of six connexins in a sliding subunit hexamer configuration. The hexamer may be either homomeric or heteromeric. The connexon arrangement provides for the opening and closing of an intersubunit space (or pore) that allows diffusion of molecules 1 kDa or less. It is suggested that the extended C-terminus of each connexin may interact with multiple docking proteins and serve as a plug during closure. Connexons on adjacent cells interact via their extracellular loops to form a GJ channel. When open, these channels allow for the transit of small hydrophilic molecules such as ATP, glucose, IP3 and Ca++. Connexons (or hemi-channels) that do not interact with adjacent cells are also suggested to allow for small molecule transit under unusual circumstances. Cx43 activity is regulated by phosphorylation. The exact effects, however, may be context-specific. In one case, PKC phosphorylation of S368 has been found to decrease GJ channel permeability to select small molecular weight solutes. Alternatively, PKA has been suggested to be the mediator of Cx43 phosphorylation of S365, S368, S369 and S373. In this case, phosphorylation promotes channel activity.

References

Sohl, G. and K. Willecke (2004) Cardiovasc. Res. 62:228.
Willecke, K. et al. (2002) Biol. Chem. 383:725.
Giepmans, B.N.G. (2004) Cardiovasc. Res. 62:233.
Vinken, M. et al. (2006) Cell. Signal. 18:592.
Stout, C. et al. (2004) Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 16:507.
Bao, X. et al. (2004) Am. J. Physiol. Cell. Physiol. 286:C647.
Yogo, K. et al. (2006) J. Reprod. Dev. 52:321.

Alternate Names

CX43, GJA1, GJAL, ODDD, ODOD, SDTY3

Entrez Gene IDs

2697 (Human)

Gene Symbol

GJA1

UniProt

P17302

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This product is provided under an intellectual property license from Life Technologies Corporation. The transfer of this product is conditioned on the buyer using the purchased product solely in research conducted by the buyer, excluding contract research or any fee for service research, and the buyer must not (1) use this product or its components for (a) diagnostic, therapeutic or prophylactic purposes; (b) testing, analysis or screening services, or information in return for compensation on a per-test basis; or (c) manufacturing or quality assurance or quality control, and/or (2) sell or transfer this product or its components for resale, whether or not resold for use in research. For information on purchasing a license to this product for purposes other than as described above, contact Life Technologies Corporation, 5781 Van Allen Way, Carlsbad, CA 92008 USA or outlicensing@thermofisher.com.

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Human Connexin 43/GJA1 Alexa Fluor™ Plus 594-conjugated Antibody

R&D Systems, part of Bio-Techne | Catalog # FAB7737AFP594

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Background: Connexin 43/GJA1