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Related Concept Videos

Gap Junctions01:37

Gap Junctions

Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
Gap Junctions01:27

Gap Junctions

The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision.  The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory organs,...
Electrical Synapses01:28

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...
Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm01:19

Electrophysiology of Normal Cardiac Rhythm

The normal cardiac rhythm is a synchronized electrical activity that facilitates the regular and coordinated contraction of the heart muscle. This process is essential for efficient blood circulation throughout the body. The fundamental elements involved in establishing and maintaining this rhythm include the unique electrical properties of cardiac muscle cells, the sinoatrial (SA) node's pacemaker function, the specialized conducting system, and the ionic mechanisms underlying each phase of...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
10:46

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells

Published on: July 16, 2013

Gap junction channels and cardiac impulse propagation.

Thomas Desplantez1, Emmanuel Dupont, Nicholas J Severs

  • 1Institute of Physiology, University of Bern, Bühlplatz 5, Bern, Switzerland.

The Journal of Membrane Biology
|July 31, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Gap junction channels, specifically connexins, critically regulate cardiac impulse propagation. Their differential expression and biophysical properties modulate conduction velocity, particularly at tissue boundaries, facilitating normal heart rhythm.

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Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique
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Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Molecular Cardiology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Gap junction channels mediate electrical coupling between cardiomyocytes.
  • Connexins (Cx) are the protein subunits forming these channels.
  • Their role in cardiac impulse propagation is complex and influenced by expression and properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the differential expression of connexins in the heart.
  • To analyze the biophysical properties of gap junction channels in normal and disease states.
  • To elucidate the impact of connexin properties on cardiac impulse propagation.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical and immunocytochemical studies on cardiac tissue.
  • Electrophysiological experiments on cardiomyocyte pairs.
  • Analysis of connexin coexpression patterns and channel biophysics.

Main Results:

  • Distinct connexin coexpression patterns exist in different cardiac tissues.
  • Static channel properties (number, conductance) set basic conduction velocity.
  • Dynamic properties (gating, kinetics) modulate conduction, with varying effects based on channel type (homomeric-homotypic, homomeric-heterotypic).

Conclusions:

  • Connexin properties significantly influence cardiac impulse propagation.
  • Modulation is most pronounced at boundaries between cardiac tissues (e.g., SA node-atrium).
  • Gap junction channel function facilitates orthodromic impulse propagation, crucial for coordinated heartbeats.