GAP JUNCTION CHANNELS - NEW ROLES IN DISEASE

The importance of intercellular communication to complex cellular proc esses such as development, differentiation, growth, propagation of ele ctrical impulses and diffusional feeding has long been appreciated. Th e realization that intercellular communication is mediated by gap junc tion channels, which are in turn comprised of a diverse family of prot eins called the connexins, has provided new tools and avenues for stud ying the role of intercellular communication in these important cellul ar processes. The identification of different connexin isoforms has no t only enabled the development of specific reagents to study connexin expression patterns, but has also allowed the functional properties of the different connexin isoforms and how they interact with each other , to be explored. Increasingly, the knowledge gained from studying con nexin diversity is being used to investigate the role played by gap ju nction channels in a number of diseases. In this article we highlight selected cases where gap junction channels have been shown or are beli eved to be directly involved in the disease process.