Gap junctions in liver disease: Implications for pathogenesis and therapy

JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY

卷:70

Review

Hernandez-Guerra, Manuel¹  Hadjihambi, Anna²  Jalan, Rajiv³ 

[1] Hosp Univ Canarias, Liver Unit, Tenerife, Spain

[2] UNIL, Dept Physiol, Lausanne, Switzerland

[3] UCL Inst Liver & Digest Hlth, Royal Free Med Sch, London, England

关键词: Connexins;    Gap junctions;    Hemichannels;    Intercellular communication;    Cirrhosis;    Liver;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jhep.2018.12.023

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

In the normal liver, cells interact closely through gap junctions. By providing a pathway for the trafficking of low molecular mass molecules, these channels contribute to tissue homeostasis and maintenance of hepatic function. Thus, dysfunction of gap junctions affects a wide variety of liver processes, such as differentiation, cell death, inflammation and fibrosis. In fact, dysfunctional gap junctions have been implicated, for more than a decade, in cholestatic disease, hepatic cancer and cirrhosis. Additionally, in recent years there is an increasing body of evidence that these channels are also involved in other relevant and prevalent liver pathological processes, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, acute liver injury and portal hypertension. In parallel to these new clinical implications the available data include controversial observations. Thus, a comprehensive overview is required to better understand the functional complexity of these pores. This paper will review the most recent knowledge concerning gap junction dysfunction, with a special focus on the role of these channels in the pathogenesis of relevant clinical entities and on potential therapeutic targets that are amenable to modification by drugs. (C) 2019 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free