ArticleCancers2020
Cx43 and Associated Cell Signaling Pathways Regulate Tunneling Nanotubes in Breast Cancer Cells.
Article in Cancers, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mitochondria-Targeted Nanotherapeutics: A Promising Strategy in Modulating Mitochondrial Function, Transfer, and Transplantation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Review
- Beyond the gap: moonlighting functions of connexins in cancer.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Connexin 43-dependent mesenchymal stem cell mitochondrial transfer activates PGC1α disrupting oxidative-inflammation axis in ischemia-reperfusion injury.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Article
- Free mitochondrial transfer enhances bone regeneration through cathepsin H mediated cysteine cycle.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
- Tunneling nanotubes: a new dimension of intercellular communication and recent progress.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial Transport in Bone Metabolism Homeostasis: Molecular Mechanisms and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- From energy provision to protein synthesis: Tunnelling nanotubes as mediators of intercellular metabolic cooperation in cancer.FEBS open bio · 2026Review
- Modulation of mitochondrial dysfunction: Mechanisms and strategies for the use of natural products to treat stroke.Neural regeneration research · 2026Article
- Prime Editing, CRISPR-Cas9, and NanoCas Genome Editing for Cancer Treatment.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Review
- Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer as Endogenous Neuroprotection: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications in Ischemic Stroke.Translational stroke research · 2026Review
- Building the bridges: molecular mechanisms of tunneling nanotube formation.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial Transfer: From Bench to Bedside.Circulation research · 2026Review
- Breaking cellular boundaries: molecular mechanisms of tunneling nanotube formation and fusion.Biochemical Society transactions · 2026Review
- From the energy factory to the intercellular communication medium: the emerging role of intercellular mitochondrial transfer and mitochondrial transplantation therapy in diabetes and diabetic complications.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial DNA mutations and intercellular mitochondrial transfer in cancer: mechanisms, biological effects, and clinical potential.Biomarker research · 2026Review
- CD13 activation assembles phosphoinositide (PI) signaling complexes to regulate the actin cytoskeleton.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial transfer as a driver of immune microenvironment remodeling.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Mitochondrial transfer: a novel paradigm for wound healing.Burns & trauma · 2026Review
- Article
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Connexin 43 (Cx43) forms gap junctions that mediate the direct intercellular diffusion of ions and small molecules between adjacent cells. Cx43 displays both pro- and anti-tumorigenic properties, but the mechanisms underlying these characteristics are not fully understood. Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are long and thin membrane projections that connect cells, facilitating the exchange of not only small molecules, but also larger proteins, organelles, bacteria, and viruses. Typically, TNTs exhibit increased formation under conditions of cellular stress and are more prominent in cancer cells, where they are generally thought to be pro-metastatic and to provide growth and survival advantages. Cx43 has been described in TNTs, where it is thought to regulate small molecule diffusion through gap junctions. Here, we developed a high-fidelity CRISPR/Cas9 system to knockout (KO) Cx43. We found that the loss of Cx43 expression was associated with significantly reduced TNT length and number in breast cancer cell lines. Notably, secreted factors present in conditioned medium stimulated TNTs more potently when derived from Cx43-expressing cells than from KO cells. Moreover, TNT formation was significantly induced by the inhibition of several key cancer signaling pathways that both regulate Cx43 and are regulated by Cx43, including RhoA kinase (ROCK), protein kinase A (PKA), focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and p38. Intriguingly, the drug-induced stimulation of TNTs was more potent in Cx43 KO cells than in wild-type (WT) cells. In conclusion, this work describes a novel non-canonical role for Cx43 in regulating TNTs, identifies key cancer signaling pathways that regulate TNTs in this setting, and provides mechanistic insight into a pro-tumorigenic role of Cx43 in cancer.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.