TY - JOUR
T1 - Gap Junctions or Hemichannel-Dependent and Independent Roles of Connexins in Fibrosis, Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transitions, and Wound Healing
AU - Li, Yuting
AU - Acosta, Francisca M.
AU - Jiang, Jean X.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Fibrosis initially appears as a normal response to damage, where activated fibroblasts produce large amounts of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during the wound healing process to assist in the repair of injured tissue. However, the excessive accumulation of the ECM, unresolved by remodeling mechanisms, leads to organ dysfunction. Connexins, a family of transmembrane channel proteins, are widely recognized for their major roles in fibrosis, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), and wound healing. Efforts have been made in recent years to identify novel mediators and targets for this regulation. Connexins form gap junctions and hemichannels, mediating communications between neighboring cells and inside and outside of cells, respectively. Recent evidence suggests that connexins, beyond forming channels, possess channel-independent functions in fibrosis, the EMT, and wound healing. One crucial channel-independent function is their role as the primary functional component for cell adhesion. Other channel-independent functions of connexins involve their roles in mitochondria and exosomes. This review summarizes the latest advances in the channel-dependent and independent roles of connexins in fibrosis, the EMT, and wound healing, with a particular focus on eye diseases, emphasizing their potential as novel, promising therapeutic targets.
AB - Fibrosis initially appears as a normal response to damage, where activated fibroblasts produce large amounts of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during the wound healing process to assist in the repair of injured tissue. However, the excessive accumulation of the ECM, unresolved by remodeling mechanisms, leads to organ dysfunction. Connexins, a family of transmembrane channel proteins, are widely recognized for their major roles in fibrosis, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), and wound healing. Efforts have been made in recent years to identify novel mediators and targets for this regulation. Connexins form gap junctions and hemichannels, mediating communications between neighboring cells and inside and outside of cells, respectively. Recent evidence suggests that connexins, beyond forming channels, possess channel-independent functions in fibrosis, the EMT, and wound healing. One crucial channel-independent function is their role as the primary functional component for cell adhesion. Other channel-independent functions of connexins involve their roles in mitochondria and exosomes. This review summarizes the latest advances in the channel-dependent and independent roles of connexins in fibrosis, the EMT, and wound healing, with a particular focus on eye diseases, emphasizing their potential as novel, promising therapeutic targets.
KW - EMT
KW - connexins
KW - fibrosis
KW - gap junctions
KW - hemichannels
KW - wound healing
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U2 - 10.3390/biom13121796
DO - 10.3390/biom13121796
M3 - Review article
C2 - 38136665
AN - SCOPUS:85180688176
SN - 2218-273X
VL - 13
JO - Biomolecules
JF - Biomolecules
IS - 12
M1 - 1796
ER -