Articles tagged with Gap Junctions
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Researchers have identified connexin 43 as a vital protein for endothelial repair in mice, which could lead to new therapies to improve recovery and reduce complications after vascular surgery. The study found that the protein helps blood vessels recover after damage, suggesting it could be a target for treatments.
Breast cancer cells build molecular tunnels into nearby fat cells to release energy, blocking gap junctions stops tumor growth. The discovery provides a golden opportunity for developing effective strategies to treat the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.
A new gene therapy developed by researchers from Juntendo University uses AAV to deliver genome editing tools to inner ear cells, repairing a dominant-negative mutation that causes syndromic hearing loss. The approach has shown high efficiency and specificity in treating hereditary hearing loss.
Researchers found that viral infections like adenovirus create conditions for arrhythmias by disrupting gap junctions and ion channels in the heart. This discovery opens new directions to diagnose and treat viral infections affecting the heart, particularly for individuals with acute infections.
A team of scientists has developed a single-molecular Raman switch that can be controlled using both electrically driven conformational switching and optical inputs. The study demonstrates the use of near-field-enhanced techniques to manipulate molecular states, enabling highly accurate methods for nano-scale systems.
A recent study by Tokyo Tech researchers explores the structure and electron transport properties of molecular junctions. The findings reveal three distinct structures at the junction, corresponding to high- and low-conductivity states, which hold promise for designing novel electronic devices with unique properties.
Electrical synapses play a vital role in brain function and stability, influencing individual nerve cell activity. In Drosophila, researchers found electrical synapses occur in almost all brain areas, affecting visual processing and neuron stability.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School study how electrical impulses in the heart travel from cell to cell, using gap junctions. The connections between cells facilitate a local current flow due to voltage gradients and low electrical resistance pathways.
Researchers led by Katie Baldwin found that the loss of hepaCAM disrupts astrocyte territories and gap junction coupling, leading to impaired communication between brain cells. This study has implications for understanding MLC and other neurodegenerative disorders, and may lead to therapeutic breakthroughs.
Researchers identified a critical early step in the visual process, discovering that rods and cones communicate primarily through connexin36 gap junctions. This understanding will aid in developing photoreceptor or retinal implants to restore vision.
Adenovirus, a common cold virus, can disrupt the heart's electrical system, leading to arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Researchers used induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to confirm the virus's impact on the heart's ability to communicate with its neighbors.
A recent study published in Cell Reports reveals how a genetic message to produce healthy heart tissue is altered during stress and aging, contributing to sudden cardiac death. The discovery allows for the potential development of targeted therapies to help people at risk of arrhythmias and heart attacks.
A researcher is studying a heart mutation that can lead to sudden cardiac death and other heart conditions. The scientist found a parallel process of conduction called ephaptic coupling that helps maintain heart rhythm even when gap junctions are lost.
A graduate student at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute is investigating how adenovirus affects gap junctions in the heart, which can lead to arrhythmia. The research aims to understand the pathways used by the virus in sudden cardiac death and potentially develop therapies for other forms of cardiac disease.
Researchers have discovered a way to block cell-to-cell communication in the liver, preventing damage caused by toxic drugs like acetaminophen. The approach has potential for improving drug safety and could lead to new treatment options for patients with drug-induced liver injury.
Researchers have found a way to protect the liver from damage caused by certain drugs, which could lead to improved drug safety. By targeting gap junctions in liver cells, they hope to develop new therapies for treating patients with drug-induced liver injury.
Researchers at UCLA have made a groundbreaking discovery about neuronal gap junctions, which could lead to new treatments for anxiety disorders like PTSD. The study found that blocking these gap junctions can disrupt critical rhythms in the brain region most involved in cognition, preventing fear memories from forming.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that stem cells can connect with and rescue threatened neurons through direct contact via gap junctions. The findings suggest a new possible treatment approach for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases.
A Kansas State University biochemist is studying the lens in diabetes patients with a focus on protein kinase C gamma (PKC gamma) and gap junctions. Researchers hope to design drugs that can prevent diabetics from losing PKC gamma, which leads to lens cell damage.
Scientists discovered that gap junctions play a crucial role in neuronal migration, and their adhesion function may also contribute to cancer spread. The discovery highlights the potential for gap junctions as a therapeutic target in brain tumors.
Scientists found evidence of a new type of communication between nerve cells in the brain, which may be linked to epilepsy. The discovery suggests that excitatory nerve cells are coupled together by gap junctions, potentially leading to cross-talk and altered brain function.
Scientists at Rockefeller University have identified a key player in the development of left-right asymmetry in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. A gene involved in gap junctions establishes communication between neurons on opposite sides, allowing them to coordinate their activity and create permanent differences. This discovery p...
K-State researchers aim to develop a chemical that can close gap junctions, preventing the spread of damaged eye cells. The team faces challenges in delivering the chemical into the eye without causing damage to the retina.
Researchers discovered that injured spinal neurons establish gap junctions to communicate with each other, but not with healthy neighboring cells. This finding suggests a new approach to re-establishing connectivity between neurons and muscle after peripheral nerve damage or spinal cord injury.
A revised geological history of coastal California reveals that the Mendocino Triple Junction is a slab window, too simple to accurately portray events at the northern end of the San Andreas fault. The thickening and thinning of the crust alter the underlying rock characteristics, influencing earthquake responses.