Cx43 Isoform GJA1-20k Promotes Microtubule Dependent Mitochondrial Transport.

ABSTRACT: Connexin 43 (Cx43, encoded by GJA1) is a cell-cell communication gap junction protein expressed in all organ systems. It was recently found that GJA1 mRNA undergoes alternative translation to generate N-terminal truncated isoforms, of which GJA1-20k is the most abundant. Here we report a surprising finding that, unlike full length GJA1-43k, GJA1-20k has a strong tropism for mitochondria. Exploring function, we found that GJA1-20k appears to be an organelle chaperone and that overexpression of GJA1-20k is sufficient to rescue mitochondrial localization to the cell periphery upon exposure to hydrogen peroxide, which effectively limits the network fragmentation that occurs with oxidative stress. By high-resolution fluorescent imaging and electron microscopy, we determined that GJA1-20k is enr

SUBMITTER: Fu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5682029 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature