Gap junction (GJ) channels, formed of connexin protein, mediate intracellular communication in most mammalian cell tissues. Connexin mutations and changes in biophysical/biochemical properties of GJ channels are associated with various pathologies, therefore GJs are increasingly considered as a target for the development of new drugs and therapeutic methods. Electrical properties of GJ channels are crucial for impulse propagation in cardiac tissue as well as for synchronization of neurons, which underlies various cognitive processes. In addition, measurement of junctional conductance is an important experimental technique, which allows scientists to evaluate the influence of various chemical factors and connexin mutations on biophysical/biochemical properties of GJ channels. The main purpose of this research project is to develop a new mathematical/computational model, which will allow us to adequately describe electrical properties of GJ channels. The modelling will be based on electrophysiological experiments in cell cultures, transfected with various connexin isoforms.
Project funding:
KTU R&D&I Fund
Project results:
During this project, we developed a mathematical model, which can adequately reproduce steady state and kinetics of junctional conductance of gap junction channels. The obtained results are presented in the paper ‘Four-State Model for Simulating Kinetic and Steady-State Voltage-Dependent Gating of Gap Junctions’, which was published in Biophysical Journal (IF – 4.033).
Period of project implementation: 2018-03-20 - 2018-12-31
Project partners: Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
