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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...

Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion

Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion

The pancreatic islets comprising only 1%-2% of the volume are highly vascularized and innervated mini-organs. They contain five endocrine cell types, including β cells that secrete insulin, which is synthesized as a single polypeptide chain, preproinsulin, processed to proinsulin, and finally to insulin and C-peptide. This process is complex and regulated, involving the Golgi complex, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the secretory granules of the β cell.
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...

Insulin Secretory Vesicles

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Insulin secretory vesicles release insulin to stimulate blood glucose uptake and regulate carbohydrate metabolism. When the blood glucose levels increase, glucose enters the pancreatic β-islet cells through glucose transporters. Once inside, glucose is metabolized through glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the electron transport chain, producing ATP. This increase in ATP concentration closes ATP-sensitive potassium channels, leading to depolarization of the membrane and the opening of...

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...

Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

Coculture Analysis of Extracellular Protein Interactions Affecting Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells

Coculture Analysis of Extracellular Protein Interactions Affecting Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells

Published on: June 15, 2013

Connexins and β-cell functions.

Valentina Cigliola¹, Vineetha Chellakudam, Wael Arabieter

¹Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, University of Geneva School of Medicine, 1 rue Michel-Servet, Geneva, Switzerland.

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice

|November 27, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Intercellular communication via connexins and gap junctions is crucial for pancreatic beta-cell function and survival. Disruptions in this signaling may contribute to diabetes, suggesting therapeutic potential.

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Area of Science:

Endocrinology
Cell Biology
Molecular Medicine

Background:

Pancreatic beta-cells require coordinated function for proper insulin secretion.
Intercellular communication allows beta-cells to sense and respond to their environment.
Connexins form gap junctions, facilitating direct cell-to-cell communication.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the role of connexin-dependent signaling in pancreatic islet coordination.
To explore the implications of connexin signaling in beta-cell function and diabetes.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on connexins and gap junctions in pancreatic islets.
Analysis of evidence for connexin signaling in insulin biosynthesis, release, and beta-cell survival.
Examination of the link between connexin alterations and diabetes pathogenesis.

Main Results:

Connexin-mediated gap junctions are vital for beta-cell coordination.
Connexin signaling influences in vivo insulin regulation and beta-cell stress response.
Altered connexin signaling is implicated in diabetes-associated beta-cell dysfunction.

Conclusions:

Connexin-dependent intercellular communication is essential for pancreatic islet homeostasis.
Targeting beta-cell gap junction communication may offer novel therapeutic strategies for diabetes.