Figure 1

NO reduced gap junctional Ca²⁺signal propagation in HeLaCx37 cells. A depicts the fluorescence image (Fura2, excitation 380 nm), the stimulated cell (red), adjacent cells (green) and secondary adjacent cells (blue). All adjacent cells together are counted as neighbouring cells. B. The Ca²⁺ concentration (ratio) increased after mechanical stimulation of the red marked HeLaCx43 cell (0 s) and the signal propagated to some neighbouring cells (8 s, 12 s). C depicts the time course of the Ca_i²⁺ increase. The signal spread with a time delay of up to 7 s into adjacent (green, 1A green) but hardly to secondary adjacent (blue, 1A blue) cells. D. After stimulation, 30 ± 4% of the neighbouring HeLaCx37 cells showed a Ca²⁺_i increase (con). NO (15 min, 2 μM SNAP) reduced the number of cells responding with an elevated Ca²⁺_i signal to 16 ± 3% (p < 0.05, n = 15, w = C = 3) whereas it was virtually unchanged in HeLa-Cx43 cells (con: 38 ± 6%, NO: 37 ± 5%; n = 13, w = C = 3).