bio

Gap junction

A protein channel that directly links the cytoplasm of two adjacent cells, letting ions and small signaling molecules pass straight from one cell to the next without entering the space outside. This couples a crowd of discrete cells into one connected electrical–chemical syncytium, so voltage states can spread, compute, and form coherent morphogenetic fields across a tissue. It is the "wiring" of developmental bioelectricity — blocking gap junctions alone is enough to rewrite a flatworm's body plan.