• 1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou Sichuan, 646000, P.R.China;;
  • 2West China Molecular GeneticsLaboratory, Sichuan University.;
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【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the expression of connexin 40 (Cx40) and hyperpolarization-activated cycl ic
nucleotide-gated cation channel 4 (HCN4) in rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) cocultured with the sinoatrial
node (SAN) tissues in vitro, so as to evaluate the possibil ity of BMSCs differentiation into SAN cells. Methods BMSCs were
isolated from Sprague Dawley rats (aged 4-6 weeks, male or female) by the adhesive method and cultured; BMSCs at the 3rd
passage were marked with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester, and then were incubated on 6-well culture plate; cell climing
sl ices were prepared at the same time. SAN tissue was taken and cut into 0.3 cm × 0.3 cm mass, and then placed into 4℃ PBS
solution. The SAN tissue mass was cocultured with marked BMSCs at the 3rd passage for 3 weeks as the experimental group, and
BMSCs at 3rd passage were cultured alone for 1 week as the control group. At 1, 2, and 3 weeks after coculture, the mean integrated
absorbance (MIA) values of Cx40 and HCN4 were measured by Image pro plus 5.0 through the method of immunohistochemistry,
and the mRNA expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 were identified by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Results The
MIA values of Cx40 and HCN4 in the experimental group were higher than that in the control group, showing significant
differences (P  lt; 0.01). In the experimental group, the expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 increased gradually with time. The longer
the culture time was, the higher the expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 were, showing significant differences (P  lt; 0.05). The mRNA
expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P  lt; 0.01); in
the experimental group, the mRNA expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 increased gradually with time, showing significant differences
between different time points (P  lt; 0.05). Conclusion The expressions of Cx40 and HCN4 increase obviously after coculturing
BMSCs with SAN tissue, indicating that BMSCs could differentiate into SAN cells by coculturing with SAN tissue in vitro.

Citation: SONG Bo,LIAO Bin,YU Fengxu,XIA Zengliang.. EXPRESSION OF CONNEXIN 40 AND HYPERPOLARIZATION-ACTIVATED CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-GATEDCATION CHANNEL 4 IN RAT BONE MARROW MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS COCULTURED WITHSINOATRIAL NODE TISSUES IN VITRO. Chinese Journal of Reparative and Reconstructive Surgery, 2012, 26(2): 146-151. doi: Copy