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A micropatterned cell pairing system was developed for live microscopy to examine how the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton confer specificity to Cx43 trafficking to defined cell-cell junctions.
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This novel micropatterning approach provides a reproducible method to study dynamic intracellular movements of Cx43 and other proteins important for cell-cell communication and electrical coupling.
The precise expression and timely delivery of connexin 43 (Cx43) proteins to form gap junctions are essential for electrical coupling of cardiomyocytes. Growing evidence supports a cytoskeletal-based trafficking paradigm for Cx43 delivery directly to adherens junctions at the intercalated disc. A limitation of Cx43 localization assays in cultured cells, in which cell-cell contacts are essential, is the inability to control for cell geometry or reproducibly generate contact points. Here we present a micropatterned cell pairing system well suited for live microscopy to examine how the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton confer specificity to Cx43 trafficking to precisely defined cell-cell junctions. This system can be adapted for other cell types and used to study dynamic intracellular movements of other proteins important for cell-cell communication.
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Zhang et al. (2014) studied Cx43 trafficking. Micropatterned cell pairing system was evaluated. A micropatterned cell pairing system was developed for live microscopy to examine how the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton confer specificity to Cx43 trafficking to defined cell-cell junctions.
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