Evolutionary adaptation of the sensitivity of connexin26 hemichannels to CO2.

ABSTRACT: CO₂ readily combines with H₂O to form [Formula: see text] and H⁺ Because an increase of only 100 nM in the concentration of H⁺ (a decrease of 0.1 unit of pH) in blood can prove fatal, the regulated excretion of CO₂ during breathing is an essential life-preserving process. In rodents and humans, this vital process is mediated in part via the direct sensing of CO₂ via connexin26 (Cx26). CO₂ binds to hemichannels of Cx26 causing them to open and allow release of the neurotransmitter ATP. If Cx26 were to be a universal and important CO₂ sensor across all homeothermic animals, then a simple hypothesis would posit that it should exhibit evolutionary adaptation in animals with different homeostatic set points

SUBMITTER: de Wolf E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5310615 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature