Gap Junction-Mediated Intercellular Signalling in Health and Disease Chairman: Norton B. Gilula 1999 The last few years have seen considerable progress in this field, and exciting new implications concerning the roles of gap junctional intercellular communication are being raised. It is clear that good communication is essential for normal embryonic development and function in adult organs, although the individual functions of the proteins that form channels (connexins) are not yet fully understood. It is an exciting time in the gap junction field because the associations between failures in gap junction communication and resultant diseases are beginning to emerge. For example, mutations in the major connexin of the heart (C�43) have been found in human patients suffering from visceroatrial heterotaxia syndrome, and mutations in the gene encoding C�32 have been found in patients suffering from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This book is the first of its kind to highlight the recent progress in understanding gap junction structure, and discuss the specific roles of individual connexins. It brings together an interdisciplinary group of experts who review the role of gap junctions in the heart, the retina and lens, the auditory system, the reproductive system, and cell proliferation and cancer. It will appeal to all those interested in cell biology, embryonic development, neurobiology, cardiology, gynaecology and oncology.
