Editing Gap junction (section)

====Disease====
Mutations in connexins have been associated with many diseases in humans, including [[deafness]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Ji |last2=Nicholson |first2=Bruce J. |title=The role of connexins in ear and skin physiology — Functional insights from disease-associated mutations |journal=Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes |date=January 2013 |volume=1828 |issue=1 |pages=167–178 |doi=10.1016/j.bbamem.2012.06.024|pmid=22796187 |pmc=3521577 }}</ref> heart [[atrial fibrillation]] (standstill) and [[cataract]]s. The study of these mutations has helped clarify some of the functions of connexins.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Srinivas |first1=Miduturu |last2=Verselis |first2=Vytas K. |last3=White |first3=Thomas W. |title=Human diseases associated with connexin mutations |journal=Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes |date=1 January 2018 |volume=1860 |issue=1 |pages=192–201 |doi=10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.04.024|pmid=28457858 |pmc=5659969 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|pmid=10099690 |year=1999 |first1=Thomas W. |last1=White |first2=David L. |last2=Paul |title=Genetic diseases and gene knockouts reveal diverse connexin functions |volume=61 |pages=283–310 |doi=10.1146/annurev.physiol.61.1.283 |journal=Annual Review of Physiology |issue=1}}</ref>

Hemichannels are thought to play a general role in the progression and severity of many diseases; this is in part due to hemichannels being an open door to the outside of each cell.<ref name="hemichannel"/>