Gap Junction Protein Connexin-43 in Glial Cells of Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion

The aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of distribution and localization of the gap junction protein connexin-43 (Cx43) in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells at different stages of postnatal ontogenesis to assess the morphological signs of age-related changes in intercellular interactions. The work was performed on Wistar rats at the age of 4 months and 18 months using immunohistochemical methods. Glial cells were detected using antibodies to glutamine synthetase, macrophages – using the antibodies to calcium-binding protein Iba-1. The paper describes the features of connexin-43 distribution in the spinal ganglion of young and old rats. It has been established that connexin-43-containing structures are identified mainly in satellite glial cells of young and aging animals. Sensitive neurons, as well as DRG macrophages of both groups of animals, do not show immunoreactivity. Analysis of age-related changes in intercellular contacts in rat DRG showed that plaques of connexin-43-containing protein channels that provide metabolic interaction of satellite cells in the spinal ganglia become more numerous with age. This fact may indicate the activation of the interaction between glial cells in the DRG of rats during aging.