Connexins are ubiquitous channel forming proteins that assemble as plasma membrane
hemichannels and as intercellular gap junction channels that directly connect cells. In the …

Gap junctions are essential to the function of multicellular animals, which require a high
degree of coordination between cells. In vertebrates, gap junctions comprise connexins and …

Vertebrate gap junctions, composed of proteins from the connexin gene family, play critical
roles in embryonic development, co-ordinated contraction of excitable cells, tissue …

Gap junctions (GJs) are the only known cellular structures that allow a direct cell-to-cell
transfer of signaling molecules by forming densely packed arrays or “plaques” of hydrophilic …

Gap junction proteins, connexins, are dynamic polytopic membrane proteins that exhibit
unprecedented short half-lives of only a few hours. Consequently, it is well accepted that in …

Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades play a central role in mediating
extracellular stimuli-induced intracellular signaling during cell activation. The fourth and …

Gap junctions are comprised of connexins that form cell-to-cell channels which couple
neighboring cells to accommodate the exchange of information. The need for …

Intercellular communication in many organs is maintained via intercellular gap junction
channels composed of connexins, a large protein family with a number of isoforms. This gap …

Background—Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for cardiovascular mortality by
increasing endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction and subsequently accelerating atherosclerosis …

Backgroud ERK5 is a member of the mitogen activated protein kinase family activated by
certain mitogenic or stressful stimuli in cells, but whose physiological role is largely unclear …