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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jan 21.
Published in final edited form as: Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2010 Apr;88(4):399–413. doi: 10.1139/y10-009

Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

Basic elements of the gap junction. Each connexon (hemichannel) consists of six connexins oligomerized to form a cylindrical channel in the plasma membrane. When connexons from adjacent cells dock end-to-end, an intercellular channel is formed. A cluster of such intercellular membrane channels constitutes a gap junction. A variety of inorganic ions, small metabolites, and second messengers are able to pass through gap junctions channels, with restrictions on size and charge being imposed by the connexin composition.