Gap junctions are specialised intercellular channels that facilitate direct communication between adjacent cells by allowing the regulated exchange of ions, second messengers and small metabolites.

The emergence of gap junctions is a hallmark in the evolution of life from single-cell to multicellular organisms. For the first time, they enabled true social interactions between cells by allowing ...

Top row: The cryo-ET averages of the gap junction channels (left) revealed striking caps (right; purple) on the inside of the cell. Bottom row: The gap junctions (light blue) allow cells to ...

Congenital hearing loss refers to impaired auditory function that occurs due to genetic causes. GJB2 is the gene responsible for approximately half of all cases of hereditary hearing loss. Connexin 26 ...

When two cells "talk" to each other, they often do so through tiny channels called electrical synapses. Unlike chemical synapses, these so-called gap junctions enable the direct exchange of ...