Cryo-EM structure of an open conformation of a gap junction hemichannel in lipid bilayer nanodiscs
Khan A, Jagielnicki M, Bennett B, Purdy M, Yeager M. Cryo-EM structure of an open conformation of a gap junction hemichannel in lipid bilayer nanodiscs. Structure 2021, 29: 1040-1047.e3. PMID: 34129834, PMCID: PMC9616683, DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2021.05.010.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLipid bilayer nanodiscsGap junction channelsHexameric hemichannelsExtracellular loopBilayer nanodiscsTransmembrane α-helicesCryo-EM structureGap junction hemichannelsAdjacent cell membranesIntercellular conduitsCell communicationCx hemichannelsPlasma membraneOpen conformationSecond extracellular loopJunction channelsΑ-helixConformational flexibilityCell membraneHemichannelsCx isoformsExtracellular spaceNanodiscsStructural foundationMembrane