Antitumor suicide gene therapy is one of the emerging strategies against cancer. It consists
of the introduction into cancer cells of a gene capable of converting a nontoxic prodrug into a …

Evidence is accumulating that some forms of cell death, like apoptosis, are not only
governed by the complex interplay between extracellular and intracellular signals but are …

Direct communication between cells, mediated by gap junctions, is nowadays considered as
an indispensable mechanism in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. In fact, gap …

Connexins are tumor suppressors, and human breast connexin 26 (Cx26) and connexin 43
(Cx43) gap junctions are often down-regulated in breast cancer. We previously showed that …

The mechanism by which gap junction proteins, connexins, act as potent tumor suppressors
remains poorly understood. In this study human breast tumor cells were found to exhibit …

Connexins are membrane expressed proteins, which could assemble into hexamers to
transfer metabolites and secondary messengers. However, its roles in pancreatic cancer …

The principle of using suicide genes for gene directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) of
cancer has gained increasing significance during the 20 years since its inception. The astute …

The effect of fenamates on gap junctional intercellular communication was investigated in
monolayers of normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts and of SKHep1 cells overexpressing the …

Gap junctions (GJs) are expressed in most cell types of the nervous system, including
neuronal stem cells, neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, cells of the blood brain barrier …

Gap junctions are an important means for intercellular communication during development,
processes of tissue differentiation, and in maintenance of adult tissue homeostasis. We …