Predicted to enable gap junction hemi-channel activity. Involved in calcium-mediated signaling; regulation of defecation rhythm; and regulation of neuromuscular synaptic transmission. Located in gap junction. Is expressed in intestine.
WB Description
inx-16 encodes a pannexin, an integral transmembrane channel protein that is a structural component of gap junctions; inx-16 is required for the initiation and propagation of the intestinal calcium wave that is essential for proper execution of the C. elegans rhythmic defecation motor program; in addition, inx-16 mutant animals are aldicarb-resistant, suggesting regulatory communication between the intestine and acetylcholine motor neurons; INX-16 is expressed in the intestine where it localizes to points of cell-cell contact, coincident with sites of gap junctions.