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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...

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-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...

Glial Cells

Glial Cells

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Related Experiment Video

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Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes

Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes

Published on: October 4, 2018

Gap junction communication in myelinating glia.

Anna Nualart-Marti¹, Carles Solsona, R Douglas Fields

¹Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. annanualart@ub.edu

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta

|February 14, 2012

Summary

Gap junctions are vital for nerve cell communication and survival in the nervous system. This review explores their roles in myelinating glia and neurological disorders.

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Published on: December 25, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Gap junction communication is essential for myelination and axonal survival in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS).
Myelinating glia, including Schwann cells (PNS) and oligodendrocytes (CNS), utilize gap junctions for intercellular and intracellular communication.
These junctions play roles in regulating cell growth, proliferation, calcium signaling, and neurotransmitter release.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the types, functions, and involvement of gap junctions in myelinating glia of the PNS and CNS.
To examine the role of gap junctions in neurological disorders.
To highlight the contribution of connexins in gap junction formation and associated mechanisms of demyelination and cognitive defects.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on gap junctions in myelinating glia.
Analysis of findings from transgenic mouse models with altered connexin expression.
Examination of animal models for X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMTX) and Pelizaeus-Merzbacher-like disease (PMLD).

Main Results:

Gap junctions mediate communication among Schwann cells and between oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in the CNS.
Reflexive gap junctions facilitate communication within myelinating glia across compact myelin layers.
Gap junctions in the CNS form a glial network hypothesized to maintain homeostasis through electrical coupling and ion redistribution.
Connexin mutations are linked to demyelination and cognitive deficits, as seen in CMTX and PMLD models.

Conclusions:

Gap junctions are critical for myelinating glia function, nervous system homeostasis, and plasticity.
Dysregulation of gap junctions contributes to neurological disorders.
Further research into gap junction expression and regulation in myelinating glia is crucial for understanding nervous system function and disease.