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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...

Conduction System of the Heart

Conduction System of the Heart

Autorhythmicity is a term that refers to the heart's inherent ability to generate electrical signals and instigate muscle contractions. This self-regulating conduction system within the heart consists of two key components: the pacemaker cells and specialized conducting cells.
The pacemaker cells are located in two primary nodes: the sinoatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node. The SA node pacemaker cells can autonomously depolarize, triggering an action potential that leads to the...

Conduction System of the Heart

Conduction System of the Heart

The cardiac conduction system produces and transmits electrical impulses that prompt myocardial contraction, ensuring efficient heart function. This intricate system ensures that the heart beats in a coordinated and efficient manner, beginning with the atria and then the ventricles. The conduction system optimizes cardiac output by maintaining this precise sequence, which is crucial for adequate blood circulation.
This system relies on the unique properties of nodal and Purkinje 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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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

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Connexins and the heart.

¹Department of Medicine, Cardiology Division, and the Department of Molecular Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.

Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine

|January 18, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Gap junctions, formed by connexin proteins, synchronize heartbeats by enabling electrical coupling between myocytes. Understanding connexin gene expression offers new insights into gap junction channel function in the heart.

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Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Cardiovascular Physiology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Gap junctions are critical for cell-to-cell communication via intercellular channels.
In cardiac tissue, these junctions electrotonically couple myocytes, synchronizing the action potential.
Gap junction signaling is implicated in embryogenesis and development.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of connexin genes in forming gap junction channels.
To investigate connexin gene expression and function in cardiac tissue.
To gain new insights into the behavior of cardiac gap junction channels.

Main Methods:

Identification of the connexin gene family.
Analysis of connexin gene expression patterns.
Functional studies of connexin proteins in gap junction formation.

Main Results:

The connexin gene family encodes proteins that assemble into gap junction channels.
Connexin gene expression studies reveal new information about their behavior.
Gap junctions play a vital role in cardiac electrophysiology.

Conclusions:

Connexins are the molecular basis of gap junction channels.
Understanding connexin gene expression is key to understanding gap junction function.
Gap junctions are essential for coordinated cardiac function.