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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...
Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

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 Synapses01:25

Overview of Synapses

A synapse is a specialized structure where two neurons connect, allowing them to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron. It is the point of communication between neurons. The term "synapse" is derived from the Greek word "synapsis," which means "conjunction." The entire process of neural communication revolves around the synapse. When activated, a neuron releases chemicals known as neurotransmitters into the synapse. These neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to...
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...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay
09:47

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

Published on: February 1, 2019

Gap junction expression is required for normal chemical synapse formation.

Krista L Todd1, William B Kristan, Kathleen A French

  • 1Division of Biology, Neurobiology Section, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA. kltodd@ucsd.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|November 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electrical synapses, formed by gap junctions, are necessary for the development of chemical synapses in leech neurons. This study confirms electrical synapses precede and enable chemical synapse formation.

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

Published on: October 18, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cellular Biology

Background:

  • Neurons communicate via electrical and chemical synapses, with distinct developmental timelines.
  • Electrical synapses (gap junctions) typically form before chemical synapses during embryonic development.
  • This sequence suggests electrical synapses may be precursors to chemical synapses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that electrical synapses are necessary for the formation of chemical synapses.
  • To investigate the role of gap junctions in chemical synaptogenesis.
  • To confirm the developmental relationship between electrical and chemical synapses.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the identified neurons of the leech nervous system for experimental manipulation.
  • Employed RNA interference to transiently reduce gap junction expression in specific neurons.
  • Observed the impact of reduced gap junction expression on chemical synapse formation over time.

Main Results:

  • Transient reduction of gap junction expression prevented the scheduled formation of chemical synapses.
  • Chemical synapses remained absent even months after the intervention, in the mature nervous system.
  • This demonstrates a critical dependency of chemical synapse formation on prior gap junction presence.

Conclusions:

  • Gap junction formation is a prerequisite for chemical synaptic junction development in leech neurons.
  • The findings experimentally validate the hypothesis that electrical synapses are necessary forerunners of chemical synapses.
  • This study elucidates a fundamental mechanism in the sequential development of neuronal communication pathways.