Fig. 6.

Increased extracellular Ca²⁺ inhibits Cx26-D50A and Cx26-A88V hemichannel currents. A: mean steady-state currents observed in Cx26-D50A-transfected HeLa cells in the absence of Ca²⁺ (▲) were significantly reduced (△, P < 0.05) after perfusion of media supplemented with 2 mM Ca²⁺. At negative membrane voltages, the inhibition was complete and current levels matched those of untransfected control HeLa cells (○). B: Cx26-A88V hemichannels also displayed large membrane currents that were suppressed by perfusion with 2 mM Ca²⁺. Data are the means ± SE.