Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...

Gap Junctions

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...

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

The complex three-dimensional arrangement of cells in any multicellular organism is defined and maintained by interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. Cell-cell junctions are specialized structures where the multi-protein complexes on one cell interact with the multi-protein complexes on another cell. These cell junctions are classified into three main types based on their function — occluding, anchoring, and gap junctions.
Occluding or Tight Junctions
Tight...

Gap Junctions

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Vaginal microbiota transplantation for treatment of vaginal dysbiosis without the use of antibiotics: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial in women with vaginal dysbiosis.

The Lancet. Microbe·2026

Same author

Eight weeks of treatment with probiotic <i>Bifidobacterium breve</i>, Bif195 lowers fatigue scores in patients with diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: results from a randomised, clinical trial.

Frontiers in nutrition·2026

Same author

Comparison of whole-genome sequencing-based analysis methods for taxonomic classification of isolates unclassified by MALDI-TOF MS.

FEMS microbiology letters·2025

Same author

Freezing of Vaginal Swabs Prior to DNA Purification Does Not Statistically Significantly Affect Microbiome Composition.

MicrobiologyOpen·2025

Same author

A prospective cohort study of the rectal microbiome in patients with suspected appendicitis.

Clinics and research in hepatology and gastroenterology·2025

Same author

From blood flow to organ function: The physiology of autoregulatory dynamics.

Experimental physiology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Functional Assay for Gap Junctional Examination; Electroporation of Adherent Cells on Indium-Tin Oxide

A Functional Assay for Gap Junctional Examination; Electroporation of Adherent Cells on Indium-Tin Oxide

Published on: October 18, 2014

Quantification of gap junctional intercellular communication based on digital image analysis.

Johannes P Hofgaard¹, Sarah Mollerup, Niels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou

¹Danish National Research Foundation Centre for Cardiac Arrhythmia and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, Denmark. schak@mfi.ku.dk

American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

|June 19, 2009

Summary

Quantifying intercellular communication using digital image analysis offers a rapid and objective method. This technique enhances the reliability of metabolic coupling estimates by analyzing numerous cells, overcoming limitations of manual counting.

More Related Videos

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products

Published on: December 25, 2016

Quantifying Intermembrane Distances with Serial Image Dilations

Quantifying Intermembrane Distances with Serial Image Dilations

Published on: September 28, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Functional Assay for Gap Junctional Examination; Electroporation of Adherent Cells on Indium-Tin Oxide

A Functional Assay for Gap Junctional Examination; Electroporation of Adherent Cells on Indium-Tin Oxide

Published on: October 18, 2014

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products

Published on: December 25, 2016

Quantifying Intermembrane Distances with Serial Image Dilations

Quantifying Intermembrane Distances with Serial Image Dilations

Published on: September 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Image Analysis

Background:

Intercellular communication through gap junction channels is vital for cell function.
Accurate quantification of intercellular coupling is essential for reliable metabolic coupling estimates.
Traditional manual cell counting methods are time-consuming and subjective.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a novel digital image analysis technique for quantifying intercellular communication.
To provide software and a detailed protocol for the new analysis method.
To offer a rapid, objective, and reproducible method for assessing intercellular coupling.

Main Methods:

Utilized connexin 43-expressing C6 glioma cells.
Introduced fluorescent dye via in situ electroporation.
Measured fluorescence intensity in electroporated and diffused cells using digital image analysis.

Main Results:

Developed a semiautomatic digital image analysis technique.
Demonstrated reliable determination of uncoupling effects compared to manual counting.
Achieved a high degree of reproducibility in quantification.

Conclusions:

The digital image analysis method provides a rapid and objective quantification of intercellular coupling.
This technique overcomes the subjectivity and time constraints of manual cell counting.
The method is valuable for reliable estimation of metabolic coupling in cell populations.