Robert Wyman

Intercellular communication is necessary for higher organisms to develop and function. Much has been learned in recent decades about cell-cell signaling via extra-cellular molecules and their receptors. However, the more direct mechanism of communication via gap junctions has been little studied. Gap junctions are present in essentially all tissues of all animal species. They are present from the earliest embryonic stages and are necessary for development to proceed. We have recently defined a new gene family, the Innexins, whose members code for the invertebrate gap junction channel. The family includes thirty Drosophila and C. elegans genes sharing high sequence homology. This discovery allows us to use the methods of experimental manipulation available in Drosophila to study the role of gap junction communication in develop-mental mechanisms, channel function and neural systems. Different members of the family are expressed in different tissues. Taken together, the family members