| General information | Literature | Expression | Regulation | Mutation | Interaction |
Basic Information | |
|---|---|
Gene ID | 2697 |
Name | GJA1 |
Synonymous | AVSD3|CX43|DFNB38|GJAL|HSS|ODDD;gap junction protein, alpha 1, 43kDa;GJA1;gap junction protein, alpha 1, 43kDa |
Definition | connexin 43|connexin-43|gap junction 43 kDa heart protein|gap junction alpha-1 protein |
Position | 6q21-q23.2 |
Gene type | protein-coding |
Cancer type | Abstract |
| medulloblastoma;Neurological | Medulloblastoma (MB) is one of the most common malignant brain tumors of childhood and is associated with a poor prognosis. Gap-junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is an important mode for cell-to-cell communication. Dysfunctional GJIC is exhibited in most cancer cells. There is significant evidence that GJIC is important in at least some prodrug/suicide gene systems byaugmenting the bystander effect (BE). GJIC is made up of connexins (Cxs), among which Cx43 is present in most tissues. Bcl-2, an important apoptosis blocker, isclosely associated with the sensitivity to anticancer drugs. Our study showed that dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP) upregulated the Cx43 expression and GJIC function in Daoy medulloblastoma cells. It directly enhancedthe BE using a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk)/ganciclovir (GCV) system, which was blocked by a Cx43 inhibitor. In addition, db-cAMP increased the cytotoxicity of temozolomide and teniposide, possibly by downregulating the Bcl-2 expression and inducing apoptosis. Taken together, we demonstrated the beneficial effect of db-cAMP in treating medulloblastoma depending on the upregulation of BE and chemosensitivity through Cx43 and Bcl-2-mediated pathways. |