# Pannexins in the heart: cell-specific expression and contributions to disease

## TL;DR

This review explores the role of pannexin proteins in the heart, their expression patterns, and their potential as therapeutic targets for heart disease.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive analysis of pannexin expression and function in the heart using public sequencing data and literature.

## Key findings

- Pannexin 1 is expressed in multiple cardiac cell types and influences blood vessel regulation and immune responses.
- Pannexins contribute to both ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease through various mechanisms.
- Drugs targeting pannexin channels show potential for treating cardiac dysfunction.

## Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally. Although modern interventions have dramatically reduced the morbidity and mortality of heart disease, the lack of knowledge of key underlying mechanisms has limited the development of effective therapeutics. Pannexins encompass a group of three transmembrane channel-forming proteins best known for their role in purinergic signaling through the release of ATP. Pannexins, particularly pannexin 1 (Panx1), are expressed in multiple cell types throughout the heart and play a role in blood vessel regulation, immune cell recruitment and activation, and the response to ischemic injury. In this review, we analyze publicly available sequencing data to investigate the expression of pannexin proteins in human and mouse hearts at both tissue and single-cell levels. We provide a detailed review of the literature surrounding cardiac pannexin function in the context of both ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease. We then discuss the clinical use of drugs now known to target pannexin channels as a primer for the therapeutic potential of pannexins in cardiac dysfunction. Finally, we discuss the largest gaps in the current literature to guide future research.