Connexin Expression in Renin-Producing Cells

Absence of connexin 40 (Cx40) leads to ectopic juxtaglomerular renin expression and abrogates recruitment of renin-expressing cells in the adult kidney but does not disturb renin expression during kidney development. To find an explanation for these observations, we aimed to analyze the expression pattern of major vascular Cxs in normal juxtaglomerular epithelioid cells, in recruited renin-expressing cells, and in fetal renin-expressing cells. We found that during kidney development, the appearance of renin-producing cells paralleled the expression of Cx40 and, to a lesser extent, Cx45 but not other Cxs. In the adult kidney, juxtaglomerular epithelioid cells expressed Cx40 and lesser amounts of Cx37 and Cx43 but not Cx45, which localized to arteriolar smooth muscle cells. Recruitment of renin-producing cells in adult kidneys in response to long-term salt deprivation of mice correlated with the reappearance of only Cx40. Cx40-null renin-producing cells did not express Cx37, Cx43, or Cx45. These findings suggest that Cx40 expression is a characteristic of renin-producing cells in the kidney, and it seems to be essential in the recruitment of renin-producing cells in the adult but not the fetal kidney.