MEMBRANE-RECEPTOR AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION ON THE REGULATION OF GAP JUNCTION PERMEABILITY IN RAT SUBMANDIBULAR-GLAND

There is gap-junctional intercellular communication in salivary gland. Acetylcholine (ACh) and its agonist, carbachol (CCh) accelarate the salivary secretion and suppress the intercellular communication. We investigated membrane receptor and intracellular signal transduction system to regulate gap junction permeability by using dye-coupling (Lucifer Yellow CH) method. Increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration reduced gap junction permeability when stimulated by ACh and its agonist through muscurinic receptor and by adrenaline and its agonist through alpha-1 receptor. Activation of protein kinase C plays some role in the modulation of gap junction permeability.