By executing our FONDECYT 1135652 project aimed to dissect structure-function relationships coded at the molecular architecture of the human Connexin (hCx) 26 hemichannel we have discovered a novel feature: a cytoplasmic water pocket we termed the IC pocket. By conducting extensive analyses on the water structure and dynamics within this pocket, we came out with a functional hypothesis relating the water volume of this pocket to the voltage-mediating gating.
The IC pocket is seen in every monomer at the cytoplasmic region of hCx26.
You can read more in our Biophysical Journal paper.