In specific pathological conditions, connexons can function as hemi-channels allowing for diffusion of small soluble factors from the cytosol to the extracellular space or vice versa. These proteins are inserted in cell membranes as hexamers (connexons) that can be composed of one or several types of connexins.

Д¬onnexins are transmembrane proteins that are expressed throughout the body.

Recently, the connexin protein family has been added to the repertoire of lymphedema-associated genes. Importantly, it has recently been shown that mutations in various genes, such as FOXC2, VEGFR3, SOX18, GATA2 and CCBE1, predispose to lymphedema, hinting to involvement of proteins encoded by these genes in this disease. Lymphedema can be inherited or secondary, i. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Дata Availability: All relevant data are within the paper.ДЇunding: This work was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grant numbers 310030_162579/1 and CRSII3_141811 ( ), Leenaards Foundation ( ), and Fondation Carlos et Elsie De Reuter ( ).Д¬ompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.ДЄlthough the incidence of lymphedema is still on the rise, proper treatment for this painful and crippling condition is unavailable. Received: ApAccepted: JPublished: July 21, 2017Д¬opyright: В© 2017 Meens et al. PLoS ONE 12(7):Д®ditor: Christian Schulz, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, GERMANY (2017) Cx47 fine-tunes the handling of serum lipids but is dispensable for lymphatic vascular function. In conclusion, Cx47 is expressed in lymphatic endothelium and seems modestly implicated in multiple aspects of lymphatic pathophysiology.Д¬itation: Meens MJ, Kutkut I, Rochemont V, Dubrot J, Kaladji FR, Sabine A, et al.

These plaques contained fewer macrophages but similar amounts of T lymphocytes, collagen and lipids than plaques of Apoe -/- mice. Finally, advanced atherosclerotic plaques in thoracic-abdominal aortas of 15 months-old mice tended to be larger in Cx47 -/- Apoe -/- mice. When crossed with Apolipoprotein E-deficient ( Apoe -/-) mice, LDL-cholesterol was decreased in young Cx47 -/- Apoe -/- adults as compared to Apoe -/- mice, which was inverted later in life. Cx47 is dispensable for long-chain fatty acid absorption from the gut but rather promotes serum lipid handling as prolonged elevated triglyceride levels were observed in Cx47-deficient mice after oral lipid tolerance tests. Interstitial fluid drainage or dendritic cell migration through lymphatic vessels was also not affected by Cx47-deficiency. Cx47-deficiency did not affect lymphatic contractility (contractile amplitude or frequency) or lymphatic morphology (vessel diameter or number of valves). To determine if Cx47 plays a role in lymphatic vessel function we analysed Cx47 -/- mice. We demonstrate that Cx47 is expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells by whole-mount immunostaining and qPCR. However, the role of Cx47 in lymphatic pathophysiology is unknown. Mutations in the gap junction protein connexin47 (Cx47) are associated with lymphedema.

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