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Related Concept Videos

Gap Junctions01:37

Gap Junctions

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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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Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions01:24

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The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...
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Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions01:14

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

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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...
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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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Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

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In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
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What is Cell Signaling?02:03

What is Cell Signaling?

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Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.
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Single-cell Microinjection for Cell Communication Analysis
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Cell Systems Bioelectricity: How Different Intercellular Gap Junctions Could Regionalize a Multicellular Aggregate.

Alejandro Riol1, Javier Cervera1, Michael Levin2

  • 1Dept. Termodinàmica, Facultat de Física, Universitat de València, E-46100 Burjassot, Spain.

Cancers
|November 13, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Altering cell connectivity via gap junctions can influence bioelectrical patterns. Reducing specific connexin levels may normalize abnormal cell electrical states, offering new therapeutic avenues in regenerative medicine.

Keywords:
cell bioelectricityelectric potential patternsintercellular gap junctionsion channelstumorigenesis

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Regenerative Medicine

Background:

  • Electric potential patterns guide cell development, regeneration, and tumorigenesis.
  • Biophysical states impact cellular functions via downstream signaling pathways.
  • The origin of in vivo bioelectrical patterns and their relation to gap junctions remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate how varying gap junction conductances affect multicellular bioelectrical states.
  • Explore the relationship between connexin expression and membrane potential regulation.
  • Identify novel strategies for modulating bioelectrical patterns in cell systems.

Main Methods:

  • Computational modeling of cell systems with voltage-gated gap junctions.
  • Analysis of multicellular connectivity and membrane potential dynamics.
  • Development of a minimum biophysical model incorporating effective conductances.

Main Results:

  • Distinct membrane potentials can be maintained in multicellular regions by varying connexin-mediated gap junction conductances.
  • Increased multicellular connectivity does not always normalize abnormally depolarized cell patches.
  • Reducing specific connexin levels can be an effective bioelectrical strategy in certain contexts.

Conclusions:

  • Bioelectrical patterns are crucial for cellular processes and can be modulated by gap junction properties.
  • Targeting gap junction function offers a potential approach for regenerative medicine.
  • External modulation of cell system mean fields presents a complementary strategy to molecular interventions.