ArticleThe Journal of general physiology2022
Gap junctions and connexin hemichannels both contribute to the electrical properties of retinal pigment epithelium.
Article in The Journal of general physiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acid sphingomyelinase inhibition restores RPE homeostasis and photoreceptor function in preclinical Stargardt macular degeneration models.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Injury-induced electrochemical coupling triggers organ growth.Science advances · 2026Article
- Retinal Neurochemistry.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Targeting Connexins Biology as Therapeutic Strategies Against Retinal Diseases.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- Retinal bipolar cells borrow excitability from electrically coupled inhibitory interneurons to amplify excitatory synaptic transmission.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- The retinal pigment epithelium displays electrical excitability and lateral signal spreading.BMC biology · 2023Article
- Mechanisms of macular edema.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Review
- Gap junctions and hemichannels keep the RPE connected.The Journal of general physiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Gap junctions are intercellular channels that permit the transfer of ions and small molecules between adjacent cells. These cellular junctions are particularly dense in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and their contribution to many retinal diseases has been recognized. While gap junctions have been implicated in several aspects of RPE physiology, their role in shaping the electrical properties of these cells has not been characterized in mammals. The role of gap junctions in the electrical properties of the RPE is particularly important considering the growing appreciation of RPE as excitable cells containing various voltage-gated channels. We used a whole-cell patch clamp to measure the electrical characteristics and connectivity between RPE cells, both in cultures derived from human embryonic stem cells and in the intact RPE monolayers from mouse eyes. We found that the pharmacological blockade of gap junctions eliminated electrical coupling between RPE cells, and that the blockade of gap junctions or Cx43 hemichannels significantly increased their input resistance. These results demonstrate that gap junctions function in the RPE not only as a means of molecular transport but also as a regulator of electrical excitability.
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