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Connexins-Mediated Glia Networking Impacts Myelination and Remyelination in the Central Nervous System

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Abstract

In the central nervous system (CNS), the glial gap junctions are established among astrocytes (ASTs), oligodendrocytes (OLs), and/or between ASTs and OLs due to the expression of membrane proteins called connexins (Cxs). Together, the glial cells form a network of communicating cells that is important for the homeostasis of brain function for its involvement in the intercellular calcium wave propagation, exchange of metabolic substrates, cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Alternatively, Cxs are also involved in hemichannel function and thus participate in gliotransmission. In recent years, pathologic changes of oligodendroglia or demyelination found in transgenic mice with different subsets of Cxs or pharmacological insults suggest that glial Cxs may participate in the regulation of the myelination or remyelination processes. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In this review, we will mainly focus on the functions of Cx-mediated gap junction channels, as well as hemichannels, in brain glial cells and discuss the way by which they impact myelination and remyelination. These aspects will be considered at the light of recent genetic and non-genetic studies related to demyelination and remyelination.

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Acknowledgments

This work is in partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSCF31171046), China-France Joint Program YUANPEI 2013 PROJET (No. 26038XE). The authors wish to thank Jia Lou for her assistance in preparing the figure.

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  1. Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University, No. 30 Gaotanyan Street, Chongqing, 400038, China

    Tao Li & Lan Xiao

  2. Collège de France, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB)/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7241/Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1050, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Christian Giaume

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  1. Tao Li
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  2. Christian Giaume
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  3. Lan Xiao
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Correspondence to Tao Li.

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Li, T., Giaume, C. & Xiao, L. Connexins-Mediated Glia Networking Impacts Myelination and Remyelination in the Central Nervous System. Mol Neurobiol 49, 1460–1471 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-013-8625-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-013-8625-1

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