Gap junctional intercellular communication and cancer / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been specu la ted to be a necessary biological function of metazoan cells for the regulation o f growth control, differentiation and apoptosis of normal progenitor cells. Rese arches show that most transformed cells and tumor cells have reduced or abolished GJIC. The prevention of the down regulation of GJIC by the tumor promoters or the restoration of GJIC in neoplastic cells may have potential in prevention and therapy of cancer.