7th UK Gap Junction Meeting 2014
Friday December 5th
9am-6pm
Gap Junctions, Connexins & Pannexins
Glasgow Caledonian University
Centre for Executive Education
Room CEE6
We are delighted to present an exciting and varied programme of invited presentations
and keynote lectures, which together highlight the enormous scope of gap junction,
connexin and pannexin research that is currently ongoing in the UK and Europe. These
meetings are an excellent opportunity for young researchers to present their findings
The UK gap junction meetings have a strong focus of early career investigators. They aim to
encourage young members of the UK Gap Junction community to present and discuss their
data with highly prestigious national and international peers and to provide a forum for
informal discussion in between the International Gap Junction meetings that are held every
two years.
On behalf of all the members of the UK and EU gap junction community, we thank the
generous support from the Biochemical Society, Zealand Pharma, GCU and Glasgow
University for supporting our meeting.
The programme is attached and further details about late registration can be
obtained from the organizing committee
Organising committee and contact details:
 Scott Johnstone:
email: scott.johnstone@glasgow.ac.uk Tel: 0141 330 2669
 Patricia Martin:
email: Patricia.Martin@gcu.ac.uk
Tel: 0141 331 3726
 Catherine Wright: email: Catherine.Wright@gcu.ac.uk
Tel: 0141 331 8017
Programme
Friday 5th December 2014
09.00 - 09.45
Arrival and Registration
10.15 - 10.30
Welcome and Introduction
Dr Scott Johnstone University of Glasgow
10.30- 12.15
Session 1: Connexin History structure and Function
Chair: Dr Patricia Martin, Glasgow Caledonian University
Keynote Address:
10:30. Connexin catalysed cell communication. Yesterday and today
Professor Howard Evans, Cardiff University School of Medicine, UK
Talks:
11:15. The function and regulation of internal connexin 43 translation
Clàudia Salat Canela, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Barcelona, Spain
11:30. Amsh-mediated deubiquitination of Cx43 regulates internalization
and degradation of gap junctions
Teresa Ribeiro-Rodrigues, University of Coimbra, Portugal
11:45. To beat or not to beat - Detrimental autophagy contributes to gap
junction degradation in the ischemic heart
Tânia Martins-Marques, University of Coimbra, Portugal
12:00. Inhibition of Cx43 modifies metalloproteinase-9 expression and
influences cell migration events
Claire Lorraine, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
12.15-12.30
Launch of International Gap Junction Conference 2017
Patricia Martin and Margaret Sherry (In conference)
12.30 – 1.35
Lunch and Small Group Sessions and networking
Posters
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Continued…
1.35-3.10
Session 2: Vascular Connexins and Pannexins
Chair: Professor Sheila Graham, University of Glasgow, UK
Keynote Address:
1:35. Pannexins in the endothelium can regulate the acute inflammatory
response
Dr Brant Isakson, University of Virginia, USA
Talks:
2:20. Gap junctions and connexin hemichannels in the regulation of
haemostasis and thrombosis
Sakthivel Vaiyapuri, University of Reading, UK
2:35. The role of pannexin-1 in human platelets
Kirk A. Taylor, University of Leicester, UK
2:50. Investigating connexin gap junction between adult rat
cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts
Lisa McArthur, University of Glasgow, UK
3:00. A role doe pannexin and connexin signalling in vascular function
Myo Htet, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
3.10
Coffee & Refreshments
3.45-5.00
Session 3: Connexins and channel gating
Chair: Henrique Girao, University of Coimbra, Portugal
3:45. The modulation of Cx26 by CO2
Louise Meigh, University of Warwick, UK
4:00. Cx43 lacking the c-terminus end reduces Nav1.5 current of HL1
cells via a sequence between amino acids 301 and 361
Line W. Waring, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
4:15. A role for connexin signalling in the innate immune response in skin
Afnan Jan, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
4:30. Connexin hemichannels – Half the Story?
Nanna MacAulay, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
4:45. Closing remarks and prizes: Patricia Martin
5.00
6.30
Wine Reception - Posters
Dinner
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Acknowledgements
The organisers of the UK Gap Junction Meeting 2014 gratefully acknowledge the
generous support of the following societies and industrial partners:
Biochemical Society Independent Meeting Award
The Biochemical Society webpage: www.biochemistry.org/
Biochemical Society Transactions: www.biochemsoctrans.org/
Zealand Pharma meeting support
Zealand Pharma Webpage: www.zealandpharma.com/
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Acknowledgements
School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University
Speaker sponsorship
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/hls/
College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS), University of
Glasgow
Speaker Sponsorship
http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvls/
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Keynote Speaker Biographies
Professor W. Howard Evans,
School of Medicine, Institute of Infection and Immunity,
Cardiff University, UK
Prof. Evans is a professor of Medical Biochemistry in the
Institute of Infection and Immunity at Cardiff University
Medical School, United Kingdom. His interest in
intercellular communication via gap junctions spans
from 1972 and his group has studied many facets of the
structure and function of these Cx-based channels in a
variety of normal and pathological situations. He has
investigated the roles of connexin hemichannels, the
precursors of gap junctions, and shown their important roles in the reaction of
cells to a range off external stresses e.g. hypoxia, osmotic, oxidative. His recent
studies focus on addressing the roles of Cx channels in translational medicine.
This has involved the design and development of small Cx mimetic peptides that
block the operation of these channels. He also studies their use in addressing
cardiac pathology. Other recent collaborative studies include the roles of
connexin channels in cardiac repair and limbal epithelial stem cells of the eye,
and in damage inflicted by nanoparticles released from implanted metal
orthopaedic joints, where intercellular signalling via connexin hemichannels is
impaired.
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Dr Brant Isakson,
Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Centre,
University of Virginia, USA
Brant’s lab focuses on intercellular communication in
the microvasculature and how this regulates the critical
process of vessel dilation and constriction--elucidating
this fundamental process is key to understanding such
diseases as hypertension.
To that end, his lab is keenly interested in the membrane bound proteins
connexins (which link cellular cytoplasm together physically) and pannexins
(which signal other cells by releasing ATP into the extracellular environment), as
well as how nitric oxide may regulate these channels directly, or act
independently based on it's cellular localization in the vessel wall.
His lab utilizes everything from transgenic animals and isolated intact blood
vessels, to unique cell culture techniques and molecular biology, to biophysical
techniques such as analytical size exclusion. This provides an integrated way to
tackle the most pressing and interesting biological questions.
https://www.cvrc.virginia.edu/Isakson/
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Upcoming Meetings
2015: International Gap Junction Meeting 2015, Valparaiso,
Chile. March 28th- April 2nd 2015
Registration for the meeting:
Or email Juan Carlos Saez:
http://cinv.uv.cl/igjc2015/?page_id=481
jsaez@bio.puc.cl
2016: UK Gap Junction Meeting
Suggestions are requested for volunteers to host the 2016 UKGJ meeting.
Please contact: Patricia.martin@gcu.ac.uk
2017: International Gap Junction Meeting 2017, Glasgow, UK
IGJC 2017 Meeting Organisers: Patricia Martin, Scott Johnstone, Catherine Wright
Contact: Patricia.martin@gcu.ac.uk
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