Breast cancer (BC) relapse, despite clinical advancement, remains one of the biggest issues in the field. Intercellular communication, specifically via connexin (Cx)-mediated gap junctions (GJs), play a key role in the long-term survival of these, treatment-resistant breast cancer stem cells (CSCs), allowing for relapse. Both basic and clinical evidence reveal dual roles for GJs, in tumor suppression, generally referred to as dormancy, and progression and metastasis. GJ intercellular communication (GJIC) can be mediated by multiple types of Cxs, depending on the organ to which the BC cells metastasize. This review expands on the differential expression of Cx-mediated GJIC between CSCs and niche cells within a given microenvironment.

尽管临床进展，乳腺癌（BC）复发仍然是该领域最大的问题之一。细胞间通讯，特别是通过连接蛋白（Cx）介导的间隙连接（GJs），在这些耐治疗的乳腺癌干细胞（CSC）的长期存活中起着关键作用，从而使其复发。基础和临床证据都揭示了GJ在肿瘤抑制（通常称为休眠）以及进展和转移中的双重作用。GJ细胞间通讯（GJIC）可以由多种类型的Cxs介导，具体取决于BC细胞转移到的器官。这篇综述扩展了在给定的微环境中，CSC和小生境细胞之间Cx介导的GJIC的差异表达。