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Cardiovascular Characterization Of Cx40/Panx1 Single And Double Knockout Mice, Meghan L. Jelen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Connexins (Cxs) and pannexins (Panxs) are protein families that form large-pore channels which exist at the plasma membrane for both intracellular and extracellular signaling. Given their potential for overlapping cellular signaling functions we proposed that mice lacking both a connexin and a pannexin would have a severe phenotype. To investigate this possibility we crossed Panx1 null mice with Cx40 knockout mice and characterized the first global connexin/pannexin double knockout mouse. Intriguingly, the combined ablation of both Cx40 and Panx1 caused decreased prenatal and newborn survival, but did not affect the fertility or lifespan of surviving mice. Cx40^-/- and Cx40 …