Comparative and molecular anatomical research of GAP junction-related molecules.

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GAP junction mediates the excitation propagation and synchronized contraction of the muscle cells in the heart. GAP junction is conposed of connexin molecules. Pannexin is the homologue of connexin. We isolated three pannexin fanily genes frommodel lower vertebrate, zebrafish and determined the spatio-tenporal expression profiles of zebrafish pannexins (ZPanxs). ZPanx2 is expressed in the heart at beat-initiation stage, in the skeletal muscles at the free-swimming stage, and later, in the vessels at imnature fast blood flowstage. These results indicate the role of ZPanx2 in functional maturation processes of the muscle, rather than in determination or differentiation processes.