Editing Gap junction (section)

==Properties of connexons as hemichannels==
Unpaired connexons or innexons can act as hemichannels in a single membrane, allowing the cell to exchange molecules directly with the exterior of the cell. It has been shown that connexons would be available to do this prior to being incorporated into the gap junction plaques.<ref name="clusters"/> Some of the properties of these unpaired connexons are listed below:
#Pore or transmembrane channel size is highly variable, in the range of approximately 8-20Å in diameter.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=Ali K. |last2=Jagielnicki |first2=Maciej |last3=Bennett |first3=Brad.C. |last4=Purdy |first4=Michael D. |last5=Yeager |first5=Mark |title=Cryo-EM structure of an open conformation of a gap junction hemichannel in lipid bilayer nanodiscs |journal=Structure |date=September 2021 |volume=29 |issue=9 |pages=1040–1047.e3 |doi=10.1016/j.str.2021.05.010|pmid=34129834 |pmc=9616683 }}</ref>
#They connect the cytoplasm of the cell to the cell exterior and are thought to be in a closed state by default in order to prevent leakage from the cell.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goodenough |first1=Daniel A. |last2=Paul |first2=David L. |title=Beyond the gap: functions of unpaired connexon channels |journal=Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology |date=April 2003 |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=285–295 |doi=10.1038/nrm1072|pmid=12671651 |s2cid=18103080 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Laird |first1=Dale W. |last2=Lampe |first2=Paul D. |title=Therapeutic strategies targeting connexins |journal=Nature Reviews Drug Discovery |date=December 2018 |volume=17 |issue=12 |pages=905–921 |doi=10.1038/nrd.2018.138|pmid=30310236 |pmc=6461534 }}</ref>
#Some connexons respond to external factors by opening up. Mechanical shear and various diseases can cause this to happen.<ref name=hemichannel>{{cite journal |last1=Van Campenhout |first1=Raf |last2=Gomes |first2=Ana Rita |last3=De Groof |first3=Timo W.M. |last4=Muyldermans |first4=Serge |last5=Devoogdt |first5=Nick |last6=Vinken |first6=Mathieu |title=Mechanisms Underlying Connexin Hemichannel Activation in Disease |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |date=28 March 2021 |volume=22 |issue=7 |pages=3503 |doi=10.3390/ijms22073503|doi-access=free |pmid=33800706 |pmc=8036530 }}</ref>
Establishing further connexon properties different to those of connexon pairs, proves difficult due to separating their effects experimentally in organisms.<ref name="hemichannel" />