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Steroid Hormone Regulation of Rat Myometrial Gap Junction Formation: Effects on cx43 Levels and Trafficking1

1995; Oxford University Press; Volume: 52; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1095/biolreprod52.3.547

1529-7268

Eline Hendrix, Leslie Myatt, Susan Sellers, Paul T. Russell, William J. Larsen,

Heat shock proteins research

The formation of myometrial gap junctions coincides with onset of labor in many mammalian species, including humans. The assembly of gap junction protein into functional gap junction plaques is a final step in a cascade that begins with estrogen-dependent expression of the connexin43 (cx43) gene and continues with synthesis of cx43 in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and transport to the Golgi, followed by its trafficking to the plasma membrane and its assembly into functional gap junctions. Moreover, in several models of preterm labor in rats, precocious synthesis, trafficking, and assembly of cx43 follow an increase in the estrogen:progesterone ratio. The actions of these steroids on cx43 expression, gap junction formation, and labor led us to consider whether or not the cascade of cx43 expression and gap junction assembly typical of preterm and term labor would be disrupted by manipulations that inhibit labor through experimental reduction of the estrogen:progesterone ratio.