ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the most commonly used connexin nomenclature, where the molecular weight in kilodalton of the cDNA-predicted protein follows the connexin; in cases where mobility is measured of gap junction plaques made of multiple connexins. Gap junctions are, perhaps invariably, associated with the very tight clustering of individual channels into a structure termed the gap junction plaque. The chapter focuses on the adaptation of the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) technique for the study of the gap junction nexus. It also focuses on the experimental approaches to use FRAP to examine the stability of the arrangement of the gap junction channels within the plaque structure and the mobility of the connexons in the plasma membrane. The chapter describes FRAP experiments to assess the mobility of nonjunctional connexons and pannexin channels. It also focuses on the earliest portion of the postbleach recovery to minimize the effect of whole plaque movement.
