GJA1 and cancer: ,65 Some gap junction proteins assist in intracellular communication between tumor cells and causes these cells to go undetected by the immune system, thus leading to cancer metastases and progression.66, 67, 68 Previous studies have shown that the gap junction proteins Connexin-26 (Cx26) and Connexin-43 (Cx43) are often upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in the CSC population in TNBCs which are responsible for driving self-renewal.47