Gap Junction Protein Alpha 6 (GJa6)

GJa6, Belongs to the connexin family. Alpha-type (group II) subfamily. Connexins, or gap junction proteins, are a family of structurally-related transmembrane proteins that assemble to form vertebrate gap junctions . Each gap junction is composed of two hemichannels, or connexons, which are themselves each constructed out of six connexin molecules. Gap junctions are essential for many physiological processes, such as the coordinated depolarization of cardiac muscle, and proper embryonic development. For this reason, mutations in connexin-encoding genes can lead to functional and developmental abnormalities.Connexins are four-pass transmembrane proteins with both C and N cytoplasmic termini, a cytoplasmic loop (CL) and two extra-cellular loops, (EL-1) and (EL-2).