Cellular Communication Channels in Bovine Claw Epidermis and their Functional Role for Horn Formation

General: The causes of claw diseases can be attributed to various factors, however, most frequently they are associated with housing systems, nutrition, genetic factors, breeding influences and physiological state. Increasingly intensified milk production in the last three decades has led to an exaggerated rise in the occurrence of non-infectious claw diseases. Relatively little is known about the cellular and molecular processes behind these disorders. To date few investigations have dealt with the complex interactions of proteins and other signal-producing molecules with cellular structures. On the contrary extensive studies have been done with human skin in this field. A number of them involve GJIC (Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication), may to play a crucial role in maintaining tissue homeostasis including differentiation and stratification processes.
GJ and connexins (figure 1): In almost ...