How many connexin proteins arrange themselves to form one connexon?
ATwo proteins
BFour proteins
CSix proteins
DNine proteins
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Six proteins
1. A gap junction develops from proteins sitting in the plasma membrane.
2. Those proteins are called connexins.
3. A set of six connexins arranges itself into an elongated configuration shaped like a donut.
4. That six-protein assembly is called a connexon.
5. When the pores of connexons in two adjacent cells align, a channel between the cells forms.
6. Nine is the count of microtubule doublets in a flagellum, not of connexins, so that answer borrows a number from elsewhere.
7. One connexon is built from six connexins.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 "Cell Structure", section 4.6 Connections between Cells and Cellular Activities_
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