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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...

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...

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring junctions are multiprotein complexes that help cells connect to other cells and the extracellular matrix. Anchoring junctions are present on the lateral and basal surfaces of cells, providing strong and flexible connections. Focal adhesions are often formed due to cell interactions with the ECM substrata, which initiate signal transduction via kinase cascades and other mechanisms. Together, they provide stability and tissue integrity. There are three types of anchoring junctions:...

Adherens Junctions

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types – adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Ex Utero Electroporation and Organotypic Slice Cultures of Embryonic Mouse Brains for Live-Imaging of Migrating GABAergic Interneurons

Ex Utero Electroporation and Organotypic Slice Cultures of Embryonic Mouse Brains for Live-Imaging of Migrating GABAergic Interneurons

Published on: April 20, 2018

Gap junctions/hemichannels modulate interkinetic nuclear migration in the forebrain precursors.

Xiuxin Liu¹, Kazue Hashimoto-Torii, Masaaki Torii

¹Department of Neurobiology and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|March 26, 2010

Summary

Neural precursor nuclei use calcium oscillations and gap junctions for apical migration during brain development. Disrupting these connections impairs nuclear movement and may cause corticogenesis defects.

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Last Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Ex Utero Electroporation and Organotypic Slice Cultures of Embryonic Mouse Brains for Live-Imaging of Migrating GABAergic Interneurons

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In vivo Postnatal Electroporation and Time-lapse Imaging of Neuroblast Migration in Mouse Acute Brain Slices

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Published on: November 25, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Neural precursors in the ventricular zone (VZ) undergo interkinetic nuclear migration for cell division.
Gap junctions/hemichannels are known to influence DNA synthesis via calcium (Ca2+) waves.
The precise role of Ca2+ oscillations and the mechanism of nuclear translocation in VZ precursors remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of Ca2+ oscillations and gap junctions in the interkinetic nuclear migration of VZ precursors.
To elucidate the mechanism of apical nuclear translocation during VZ precursor cell cycling.

Main Methods:

Monitoring spontaneous Ca2+ transients in VZ precursors during apical nuclear migration.
Utilizing gap junction/hemichannel blockers and Cx43 (connexin 43) knockdown via short hairpin RNA (shRNA).
Assessing nuclear morphology (length/width ratio) and cdc42 phosphorylation.

Main Results:

VZ precursors exhibit dynamic spontaneous Ca2+ transients during apical migration, dependent on gap junctions/hemichannels, ATP release, and Ca2+-mobilizing messenger diffusion.
Blocking gap junctions/hemichannels or Cx43 knockdown significantly retards apical nuclear migration and alters nuclear shape.
Inhibition of gap junctions/hemichannels leads to increased phosphorylation of the small GTPase cdc42.

Conclusions:

Functional gap junctions/hemichannels and Ca2+ signaling are crucial for the apical phase of interkinetic nuclear migration in VZ precursors.
Cx43 plays a significant role in regulating nuclear translocation and morphology.
Disruption of these mechanisms during embryonic development may result in abnormal corticogenesis and cerebral cortex dysfunction.