Figure 1.

(A) Scheme of the connexin structure. Connexin is a tetraspan molecule which contains four transmembrane α-helices (1-4), two extracellular loops and one cytoplasmic loop; the amino- and carboxy-termini are located inside the cell. Transmembrane domains participate in the formation of the connexon scaffold and pore formation; extracellular loops are responsible for channel docking; the cytoplasmic loop and the N- and C-tails are the platform for the regulation of connexin functioning. (B) Participation of the connexin C-tail in regulation. The reported cancer-related signaling is represented in italic (explanations are in the text).