An overview of the focus of the International Gap Junction Conference 2017 and Future Perspectives

This Special Issue relates to the 18th biannual International Gap Junction Conference (IGJC2017), held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow, U.K., from the 29 July–2 August 2017. The special issue, entitled: Interplay of Connexins and Pannexins in Tissue Function and Disease focused on six key state of the art reviews written by chairs of the sessions highlighting the assembly and functional interactions of connexins and pannexins in diverse tissues and disease states, with translational outputs emerging. A further 14 articles detail specific contributions that were presented as oral communications (Table 1). The meeting was attended by over 200 delegates from 24 different countries and celebrated 50 years of Gap Junction Research.