Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
Volume 239, Issue 10, Pages 2627-2636Publisher
WILEY-BLACKWELL
DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.22399
Keywords
connexin; gap junction; zebrafish; embryo; skin; inner ear
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Funding
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Manitoba Health Research Council
- National Institutes of Health [R01 EY013163, R01 AR059505]
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We have identified and characterized a zebrafish connexin, Cx30.3. Sequence similarity analyses suggested that Cx30.3 was orthologous to both mammalian Cx26 and Cx30, known to play important roles in the skin and inner ear of mammals. Analysis of mRNA expression showed that Cx30.3 was present in early embryos, and was highly abundant in skin, but also detected in other tissues including fins, inner ear, heart, and the retina. Injection of Cx30.3 cRNA into Xenopus oocytes elicited robust intercellular coupling with voltage gating sensitivity similar to mammalian Cx26 and Cx30. The similarities in functional properties and expression patterns suggest that Cx30.3, like mammalian Cx26 and Cx30, may play a significant role in skin development, hearing, and balance in zebrafish. Thus, zebrafish could potentially serve as an excellent model to study disorders of the skin and deafness that result from human connexin mutations. Developmental Dynamics 239:2627-2636, 2010. (C) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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