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Related Concept Videos

Gap Junctions01:37

Gap Junctions

48.1K
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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Gap Junctions01:27

Gap Junctions

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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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Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

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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...
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Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

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The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
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Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

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Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
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Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
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Hunting for connexin hemichannels.

Juan C Sáez1, Luc Leybaert2

  • 1Departamento de Fisiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago and Instituto Milenio, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.

FEBS Letters
|March 18, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Connexin hemichannels, also known as connexons, are crucial for cell communication. Research highlights methods to distinguish their function from other channels, aiding disease understanding.

Keywords:
ATP releaseDye uptakeHemichannel blockMimetic peptideUnitary conductance

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Connexin hemichannels (connexons) are integral to gap junctions and also function independently.
  • Distinguishing hemichannel activity from other ion channels (pannexins, CALHM1, P2X receptors) is challenging due to similar properties.
  • Lack of specific inhibitors hinders research into connexin hemichannel roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of connexin hemichannels as functional entities.
  • To outline key considerations for confirming hemichannel involvement in biological processes.
  • To address the challenges in studying hemichannel function and their role in disease.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing connexin knockout/knockdown models.
  • Developing peptides targeting intracellular connexin domains.
  • Employing antibodies against extracellular connexin domains.
  • Characterizing electrophysiological, permeability, and regulatory properties.
  • Studying connexin mutants in exogenous expression systems.

Main Results:

  • Experimental approaches now allow identification and characterization of cell surface hemichannels.
  • Genetic and antibody-based methods help dissect hemichannel roles in endogenous systems.
  • Studies on mutants provide evidence for hemichannel involvement in human genetic diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Connexin hemichannels are functional channels with significant implications.
  • Careful experimental design is necessary to attribute functions specifically to hemichannels.
  • Understanding hemichannel function is vital for elucidating their role in human diseases.