Connexin hemichannels and cochlear function.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Verselis VK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5851822 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Connexins play vital roles in hearing, including promoting cochlear development and sustaining auditory function in the mature cochlea. Mutations in connexins expressed in the cochlear epithelium, Cx26 and Cx30, cause sensorineural deafness and in the case of Cx26, is one of the most common causes of non-syndromic, hereditary deafness. Connexins function as gap junction channels and as hemichannels, which mediate intercellular and transmembrane signaling, respectively. Both channel configuration ...[more]
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