# International Gap Junction Conference 2024

> **NIH NIH R13** · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · 2024 · $14,000

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The International Gap Junction Conference (IGJC) is a biannual international meeting that has been alternating
between Europe and America since 1987. This meeting is the only one of its kind that gathers scientists and
clinicians from all over the world to present and discuss research on connexins, pannexins, innexins, and gap
junction proteins in general. The most well-known connexin-mediated function is perhaps in formation of gap
junctions within cardiac muscle which provide direct intercellular electrical coupling necessary for each
heartbeat to occur. Alterations in connexin regulation and function are understood to cause arrhythmias of
sudden cardiac death, and a significant portion of IGJC2024 will be dedicated to normal and pathological
mechanisms of connexin regulation encompassing transcription, translation, post-translational modification,
channel biophysics/structure, and stability/degradation. In addition to intercellular communication, connexin
hemichannels occur on the cell surface, and increasing non-junctional cytosolic functions of connexins are
being uncovered. Pannexins share a protomeric structural similarity with connexins but are not considered to
form intercellular channels, but rather function intracellularly or as cell-surface channels controlling release of
ATP and other metabolites for purinergic signaling. Just as with connexins, but through distinct mechanisms,
pannexin function is closely related to heart and vascular biology, with significant roles in heart disease
progression and blood pressure maintenance, for example. Pannexins have evolved from innexins, which form
gap junctions in invertebrates. There has been a recent resurgence in innexin research using model organisms
which is providing further insight as to evolution and mechanisms of pannexin/connexin structure and function.
By combining these three dynamic fields of research, the IGJC provides a uniquely diverse and rich intellectual
space with a demonstrated history of fostering collaboration to move the field forward and providing support
and exposure for early career investigators to share their science. It is our overall Aim to ensure that IGJC2024
continues the success of this highly anticipated and long-running forum by facilitating the dissemination of new
discoveries, fostering collaboration, and attracting trainees from diverse backgrounds supporting early-career
investigators in the fields of connexin, pannexin, and innexin biology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11004511
- **Project number:** 1R13HL176214-01
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** James William Smyth
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $14,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-19 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11004511

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11004511, International Gap Junction Conference 2024 (1R13HL176214-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11004511. Licensed CC0.

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