However, interpreting the phenotype of Cx43<sup>-/-</sup> mice was complicated by the fact that global deletion of Cx43 causes perinatal death due to heart defects during embryogenesis.
The present study investigated the cardiac mRNA levels of Cx43 and ZO1, using forensic autopsy materials consisting of 41 control cases without any disease or structural abnormality of the heart (group 1), 32 deaths due to acute ischemic heart disease related to coronary atherosclerosis without apparent myocardial necrosis (group 2), and 29 traumatic deaths with coronary atherosclerosis (group 3).
Previous studies have identified different mutations in the cytoplasmic tail of the connexin 43 (cx 43) gene in six patients from a series of six sporadic cases with defects of laterality and severe heart malformations.