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Pathophysiological Roles of Gap Junction in Glomerular Mesangial Cells

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Abstract

Glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) are specialized vascular smooth muscle cells that play a critical role in the control of glomerular hemodynamics. One of the intriguing features of MCs is their extraordinary abundance in gap junctions (GJs). It has long been speculated that GJs may bridge MCs together and provide the mesangium with the characteristics of a functional syncytium. Accumulating scientific evidence supports this idea. GJs are reported to be critically involved in important physiological processes like tubuloglomerular feedback and glomerular filtration. In addition, GJs are implicated in the control of many cellular processes of MCs, including growth, differentiation and survival. This article summarizes the current knowledge on the roles of GJs in glomerular pathophysiology.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by research grants (11770594, 13770598, 15590845 and 17659255 to J.Y.) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and from the Study Group on IgA Nephropathy, the Naito Foundation, the Ichiro Kanehara Foundation, the Takeda Foundation, Japan-China Medical Association as well as the Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Signaling, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Tamaho, Yamanashi, 409-3898, Japan

    Jian Yao, Ying Zhu & Masanori Kitamura

  2. Department of Cellular Physiology, Institute of Nephrology, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8152, Japan

    Tetsuo Morioka & Takashi Oite

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  1. Jian Yao
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  2. Ying Zhu
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  3. Tetsuo Morioka
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  4. Takashi Oite
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  5. Masanori Kitamura
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Correspondence to Jian Yao.

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Yao, J., Zhu, Y., Morioka, T. et al. Pathophysiological Roles of Gap Junction in Glomerular Mesangial Cells. J Membrane Biol 217, 123–130 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-007-9023-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00232-007-9023-2

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