Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 20, 2025
10:46
Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
Published on: July 16, 2013
16.4K
Gap Junction Channelopathies and Calmodulinopathies. Do Disease-Causing Calmodulin Mutants Affect Direct Cell-Cell
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642-8711, USA.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|September 10, 2021
Summary
Mutations in calmodulin (CaM), a gap junction regulator, may cause diseases by disrupting cell communication. This review highlights the potential link between calmodulinopathies and gap junction dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Cell biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Gap junction channelopathies arise from connexin gene mutations, affecting multiple organ systems.
- Calmodulin (CaM) is a key regulator of gap junction channel function and formation.
- Calmodulinopathies, diseases from CaM mutations, are recognized, but their impact on gap junctions is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential role of CaM mutations in diseases affecting cell-cell communication.
- To raise awareness regarding the link between calmodulinopathies and gap junction dysfunction.
- To explore how CaM mutations might impact gap junction channel gating and expression.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of connexin channelopathies and calmodulinopathies.
- Analysis of existing studies on CaM's role in gap junction regulation.
- Experimental data demonstrating CaM mutants' effects on gap junction channels.
Main Results:
- CaM mutations can alter gap junction channel gating.
- CaM mutations may affect the expression of gap junction channels.
- Existing calmodulinopathies may involve disrupted gap junction-mediated communication.
Conclusions:
- CaM mutations are a potential cause of diseases affecting cell-cell communication.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the role of CaM in gap junction disorders.
- Understanding CaM's function in gap junctions is crucial for diagnosing and treating related diseases.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Calmodulin-dependent Signaling
5.4K
Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...
5.4K
01:37Gap Junctions
55.2K
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...
55.2K
01:19Contact-dependent Signaling
45.4K
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...
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
45.4K
01:30Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
3.0K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
3.0K
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
4.6K
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not...
4.6K
01:21G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
5.0K
GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision. The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory...
Sensory...
5.0K