Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4): 659-666.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.155444

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Connexin: a potential novel target for protecting the central nervous system?

Hong-yan Xie 1, Yu Cui 2, Fang Deng 1,  Jia-chun Feng 1   

  1. 1 Departmet of Neurology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China
    2 Department of Neurosurgery, the First People’s Hospital of Xianyang, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
  • Received:2014-11-20 Online:2015-04-22 Published:2015-04-22
  • Contact: Jia-chun Feng or Fang Deng, clinicalted@gmail.com or defrances2000@163.com.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (General Program), No. 81271293 and the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China,        No. 81000490.

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Abstract:

Connexin subunits are proteins that form gap junction channels, and play an important role in communication between adjacent cells. This review article discusses the function of connexins/hemichannels/gap junctions under physiological conditions, and summarizes the findings regarding the role of connexins/hemichannels/gap junctions in the physiological and pathological mechanisms underlying central nervous system diseases such as brain ischemia, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, epilepsy, brain and spinal cord tumor, migraine, neuroautoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease, spastic paraplegia and maxillofacial dysplasia. Connexins are considered to be a potential novel target for protecting the central nervous system.

Key words: connexin, gap junction, biosynthetic pathways, biodegradation, brain, central nervous system diseases