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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...

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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...

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Related Experiment Video

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Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes

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Published on: January 21, 2022

Gap junctions compensate for sublinear dendritic integration in an inhibitory network.

Koen Vervaeke¹, Andrea Lorincz, Zoltan Nusser

¹Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|March 10, 2012

Summary

Electrically coupled inhibitory interneurons, like cerebellar Golgi cells, use dendritic gap junctions to boost network activity. These junctions counteract passive dendritic properties, improving excitatory input integration for better network control.

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Cut-loading: A Useful Tool for Examining the Extent of Gap Junction Tracer Coupling Between Retinal Neurons

Cut-loading: A Useful Tool for Examining the Extent of Gap Junction Tracer Coupling Between Retinal Neurons

Published on: January 12, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cellular Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Electrically coupled inhibitory interneurons are crucial for regulating neural network excitability.
The specific roles of chemical and electrical synapses in modulating interneuron activity remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how chemical and electrical synapses regulate the activity of cerebellar Golgi interneurons.
To understand the functional impact of gap junctions on dendritic integration and network dynamics.

Main Methods:

Two-photon glutamate uncaging to activate specific synapses.
Dendritic patch-clamp recordings to measure electrical properties.
Computational modeling of interneuron networks.

Main Results:

Cerebellar Golgi interneuron dendrites function as passive cables, exhibiting distance-dependent sublinear integration of excitatory inputs.
Gap junctions are more concentrated on distal dendrites, significantly increasing membrane conductance.
Depolarizing one Golgi cell enhances the firing of neighboring cells.

Conclusions:

Dendritic gap junctions counteract sublinear integration by facilitating the spread of excitatory synaptic charge to neighboring inhibitory interneurons.
These electrical synapses are vital for enabling distal excitatory inputs to effectively drive network activity.