Nature：间隙连接的新功能被发现

生物谷报道：间隙连接处（Gap junctions）是相邻细胞形成小孔或通道、让信号分子和离子在细胞之间自由通过的地方，它们存在于脊椎动物的很多成年细胞和正在发育的细胞中。它们的功能一直被认为在很大程度是由于细胞之间的分子流动。但事情并不是这么简单。现在，Elias等人提供的证据表明，间隙连接处在神经迁移中发挥一定作用，而对迁移来说重要的是间隙连接蛋白的粘附性能及细胞之间接触点的性质，不是它们通道的导通性能。该结果发表在最新一期的《自然》杂志上。

这一发现的意义已经超出了脑发育。因为很多其他间隙连接功能（包括参与肿瘤的转移）也可能取决于粘附性能而不是小孔功能，所以间隙连接处可能因以前没有被考虑到的方式而易于操控。

FIGURE 1. Cx26 and Cx43 are localized to contact points between migrating neurons and radial glial fibres.

a, e, Immunohistochemistry of cortical sections at E16 showing overlay of Cx26 (a) or Cx43 (e) (red), vimentin (green) to label radial fibres, and -III tubulin (blue) to label immature neurons. b, f, Red channel of panels a and e showing expression pattern of Cx26 (b) or Cx43 (f). c, g, Migrating neuron from boxed area of panels a and e; clockwise: overlay, vimentin (green), Cx26 (c) or Cx43 (g) (red), and -III tubulin (blue). Cx26 and Cx43 are expressed in neurons and radial glia (white arrows). d, h, Overlay of Cx26 (d) or Cx43 (h) and -III tubulin in migrating neuron (from panels c and g). i, j, 'High resolution' confocal stacks highlighting the relationship between Cx26 (i) or Cx43 (j) puncta, vimentin⁺ fibres and a -III tubulin⁺ neuron (dotted outline). Cross sections through the x and y axis, bottom and right panels, respectively, show individual connexin puncta (white arrows) at the interface between the vimentin⁺ radial fibre and -III tubulin⁺ migrating neuron (Supplementary Movies 1 and 2 provide three-dimensional rotations). Scale bars, 5 m. CP, cortical plate; IZ, intermediate zone; VZ, ventricular zone.