Comparison of gap junction expression in the adrenal gland.

The presence of alpha 1 (Cx43) gap junction protein was demonstrated in rat, mouse, guinea pig, and bovine adrenal glands with immunocytochemical techniques. The presence of six other connexin species was not detected in the adrenal glands studied. The gap junction stain within the adrenal cortex was punctate and located at sites of cell-cell contact. While little gap junction, alpha 1, staining was detected at sites of cell contact in the zona glomerulosa (ZG), the zona fasciculata (ZF) and zona reticularis (ZR) had intense staining at cell contacts in all rodent species studies. In the bovine adrenal, ZG cells were connected by large gap junctions as were the cells of the ZF and ZR. The variations in alpha 1 distribution within the adrenal cortex may correspond with the different division rates and hormone functions within the adrenal gland as well as species differences between rodent and bovine adrenal gland.