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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...

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-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 8, 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

Assessment of gap junctional intercellular communication.

James E Klaunig¹, Yuhui Shi

¹Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

Current Protocols in Toxicology

|October 14, 2010

Summary

This study details a method for measuring gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) using primary mouse hepatocytes. Dye coupling assesses functional GJIC, crucial for cell communication and homeostasis.

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 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: December 25, 2016

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An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Physiology

Background:

Gap junctions facilitate intercellular communication via connexon channels formed by connexins.
Functional gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is vital for electrical coupling, homeostasis, and embryogenesis.
Disruptions in GJIC are linked to diseases including cancer and cardiac arrhythmias.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe a method for evaluating functional gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC).
To utilize primary mouse hepatocytes as a model system for GJIC assessment.
To focus on dye coupling as the primary method for functional evaluation.

Main Methods:

Primary mouse hepatocytes were employed as the model system.
Functional assessment of GJIC was performed using dye coupling techniques.
The study focused exclusively on dye coupling for measuring communication.

Main Results:

A protocol for measuring GJIC via dye coupling in primary mouse hepatocytes was established.
The method allows for the functional evaluation of intercellular communication through gap junctions.
The results highlight the utility of dye coupling for assessing GJIC in a relevant cellular model.

Conclusions:

Dye coupling provides a reliable method for assessing functional gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC).
Primary mouse hepatocytes serve as an effective model for studying GJIC.
Accurate measurement of GJIC is essential for understanding its role in health and disease.