Involvement of Connexin-, Pannexin-, and Innexin-Based Hemichannels in Physiological Functions of Diverse Tissues
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 10
Special Issue Editor
2. Laboratorio de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile
Interests: regulation and function of connexin- and pannexin-based channels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hemichannels (each of which is half of a gap junction channel) formed by connexins, pannexins, and innexins have emerged as physiological mediators in several physiological responses. Their involvement in these functions is mediated by permeant ions and small molecules travelling through them. While the permeation of ions can cause membrane depolarization (some of them can favor the influx of calcium ions (Ca2+), leading to the activation of Ca²⁺-dependent processes), several small molecules are metabolic substrates or products (e.g., glucose, NAD+, and lactate), and others act as autocrine or paracrine signals (e.g., ATP, cADPR, and glutamate). There are several possible explanations for the limited progress so far in determining the participation of these hemichannels in different tissues under basal physiological conditions or in response to physiological stimuli. One could be the low activity of hemichannels under basal conditions. Another could be the assumption that hemichannels are not required for vital functions. A third possible explanation is that most scientists interested in generating information related to hemichannels are focused on further understanding their roles in different pathological conditions with the final goal of devising new treatments for human wellbeing. Further development requires enhanced knowledge of their regulatory mechanisms, as well as the development of more accessible technical approaches to demonstrate the functional state of hemichannels in vivo. With further elucidation of the molecular structures of hemichannels, the discovery of selective blockers and activators of hemichannels could occur much more rapidly, offering new techniques to study the role of hemichannels in diverse tissue functions.
Several questions remain up for debate. For example, is the functional state of hemichannels directly affected by external ligands? Are both connexin and pannexin hemichannels activated by elevated extracellular K+ concentrations? Can a connexin hemichannel function be overtaken by pannexin hemichannels? Do all connexin and pannexin proteins form functional hemichannels?
This Special Issue represents an opportunity to gather information on the above-mentioned issues to accelerate our progress in understanding the physiological processes that require the involvement of hemichannels.
Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Saéz
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- connexin
- pannexin
- innexin
- hemichannel
- permeant ions
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