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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

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

Gap junction intercellular communication and benzene toxicity.

Edgar Rivedal¹, Gisela Witz, Edward Leithe

¹Department of Cancer Prevention, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital and Centre for Cancer Biomedicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. edgarr@rr-research.no

Chemico-Biological Interactions

|November 26, 2009

Summary

Benzene metabolites, particularly trans,trans-muconaldehyde (MUC), inhibit gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) by cross-linking connexin43. This finding may explain benzene

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Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

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

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Published on: February 26, 2017

Area of Science:

Toxicology
Cell Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Aberrant regulation of gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) is implicated in diseases like cancer and hematopoietic disorders.
Benzene exposure is known to cause hematotoxicity and leukemia, but the mechanisms are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the mechanisms by which benzene metabolites affect GJIC.
To determine if inhibition of GJIC by benzene metabolites contributes to benzene's toxicity.

Main Methods:

Assessed the ability of benzene metabolites to block GJIC.
Investigated the effect of trans,trans-muconaldehyde (MUC) on the gap junction protein connexin43.
Compared the effects of MUC, glutaraldehyde, and formaldehyde on GJIC and connexin43.

Main Results:

Trans,trans-muconaldehyde (MUC) was identified as the most potent inhibitor of GJIC among benzene metabolites.
MUC induced cross-linking of connexin43, which correlated with GJIC inhibition.
Glutaraldehyde showed similar effects to MUC, while formaldehyde was less potent.

Conclusions:

Benzene metabolites, especially MUC, can inhibit GJIC by cross-linking connexin43.
The observed effects on GJIC provide a potential mechanism for benzene-induced hematotoxicity and leukemia.