This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Houghton, F. D Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Houghton, F. D

Role of gap junctions during early embryo development

Department of Biology (Area 3), University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, USA

Correspondence should be addressed to F D Houghton; Email: fdh1{at}york.ac.uk

Gap junctional communication plays a central role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis by allowing the passage of small molecules between adjacent cells. Gap junctions are composed of a family of proteins termed connexins. During preimplantation development several connexin proteins are expressed and assembled into gap junctions in the plasma membrane at compaction but the functional significance of connexin diversity remains controversial. Although, many of the connexin genes have been disrupted using homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells to obtain unique phenotypes, none of these studies has demonstrated a specific role for connexins during preimplantation development in the null mutants. This review surveys evidence for the involvement of gap junctional communication during embryo development highlighting discrepancies in the literature. Although some evidence suggests that gap junctions may be dispensable during preimplantation development this is difficult to envisage particularly for the process of cavitation and the maintenance of homeostasis between the differentiated trophectoderm cells and the pluripotent inner cell mass cells of the blastocyst.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Worsdorfer, S. Maxeiner, C. Markopoulos, G. Kirfel, V. Wulf, T. Auth, S. Urschel, J. von Maltzahn, and K. Willecke Connexin Expression and Functional Analysis of Gap Junctional Communication in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Stem Cells, February 1, 2008; 26(2): 431 - 439. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]