Gap junctions and hemichannels composed of connexins: potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases

• Published in: Frontiers in cellular neuroscience Vol. 8; p. 189
• Main Authors: Takeuchi, Hideyuki, Suzumura, Akio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 02.09.2014; Frontiers Media S.A
• Subjects: Amino acids; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Animal models; Antigens; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell surface; Central nervous system; Connexins; Cytokines; Epilepsy; gap junction; Gap junctions; Glutamate; Homeostasis; Hypotheses; Immunology; Inflammation; Kinases; Macrophages; Microglia; Minocycline; Morphology; Multiple sclerosis; Neurodegeneration; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurogenesis; Neuroinflammation; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neuroscience; Neurotoxicity; Physiology; Stroke; Therapeutic applications; Trauma; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; neuroinflammation; hemichannel; neurodegeneration; gap junction; microglia; connexin; glutamate

Microglia are macrophage-like resident immune cells that contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS). Abnormal activation of microglia can cause damage in the CNS, and accumulation of activated microglia is a characteristic pathological observation in neurologic...