Gap junctions articles from across Nature Portfolio

How NMDAR and GABA neuronal dysfunctions result in impaired social behaviour is unclear. Here, the authors show that NMDARs and gap junctions in cortical PV interneurons modulate burst firing, affecting social behaviour.

Neural plasticity underlies learning and is regulated by modulation of gap junctions. Here, the authors show that NMDAR- and CaMKII-mediated cell autonomous downregulation of gap junction molecules in a circuit of interneurons facilitates olfactory learning affecting behavior in C. elegans.

Electrical synapses comprise intercellular channels termed gap junctions and are found in vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. In this Review, Pepe Alcamí and Alberto Pereda examine the properties of electrical synapses that influence neural circuit dynamics without modifying gap junction conductance.

The connexin family of channel-forming proteins is critical for cellular communication, being involved in both health and disease. Here, Laird and Lampe assess the potential of connexins as therapeutic targets in acquired and inherited diseases, as well as wound repair, highlighting agents currently in development and the associated clinical challenges.

Three studies show that synaptic interactions between neurons and glioma cells or cells of breast-cancer-to-brain metastases may promote tumour growth.

Three studies show that synaptic interactions between neurons and glioma cells or cells of breast-cancer-to-brain metastases may promote tumour growth.

Astrocytes are emerging as essential regulators of brain metastasis progression. In a current issue of Nature, Chen et al. identify a novel mechanism of astrocyte-carcinoma interaction and exploit vulnerabilities therein to slow brain metastatic growth in pre-clinical models.

Cancer cells form CX43-based gap junctions with astrocytes via PCDH7 to promote brain metastatic outgrowth and chemoresistance.

Patch-clamp recordings and imaging in retina show that electrical synapses between dendrites of neighboring ganglion cells transform spatial patterns of light activated synaptic input into a temporal population code.