Diabetes Increases Cryoinjury Size with Associated Effects on Cx43 Gap Junction Function and Phosphorylation in the Mouse Heart

Figure 5

Cx43 phosphorylation at serine 262 is enhanced in the STZ-treated diabetic heart. Representative western blot (a) labeling serine 262 and total Cx43 of the tissue homogenates of ventricular apices harvested from STZ-treated mice, insulin-treated STZ mice, and control mice. (b) Serine 262 phosphorylated Cx43/total Cx43 ratio is significantly increased in STZ-treated mice, (left), and serine 262 phosphorylation/total Cx43 ratio correlates with blood glucose level in diabetic animal (right). (c) Representative confocal images of immunolabeling of STZ and control mice for phosphorylated serine 262 (red) and total Cx43 (green) demonstrating increased serine 262 labeling in the STZ mouse. Arrow indicates perinuclear (nonjunctional) p262 labeling. Scale bar = 10 μM.

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