Understanding Selective Intercellular Communication

Gap junctions allow neighboring cells to directly exchange electrical and biochemical signals, yet the molecular rules governing selective communication between cell types remain poorly understood. Our lab studies how the 21 human connexin isoforms assemble into distinct channel architectures and how these interactions shape the transfer of ions, metabolites, and signaling molecules across tissues.

A major focus of our work is understanding channel specificity, why certain connexin isoforms readily interact while others remain incompatible, and how these molecular preferences ultimately define cellular communication networks in complex tissues. To address these questions, we developed FETCH (Flow Enabled Tracking of Connexosomes in HEK Cells), a quantitative assay platform that enables systematic mapping of connexin compatibility and gap junction docking interactions across isoforms. Using FETCH alongside imaging and functional assays, we investigate how selective intercellular coupling contributes to physiology in the nervous system and beyond, and how disrupted connexin communication drives disorders including epilepsy, deafness, neurodegeneration, and cancer.