Migration of connexin in the membranes of living cells

Movement of connexins within cell lipid bilayers remains somewhat mysterious. In studying their movement, researchers hoped to shed more light on the mechanisms by which they are influenced. We examined this problem by observing the behavior of the connexins directly. Cancerous human liver cells were cultured and their membrane connexins labeled with green fluorescent protein through transvection. The connexins were then filmed by high speed camera and carefully analyzed. The study served to fine-tune the model used in simulations of connexin migration, enabling further study of connexins and their transmembrane environment.