Connexin45 is a gap junction protein which forms channels with unique characteristics. RNA blots demonstrated that connexin45 is expressed in a number of cell lines including WB, SK Hep1, BHK, A7r5, CLEM, and BWEM cells. Connexin45 was further studied in BWEM cells using specific affinity-purified antibodies directed against a synthetic peptide representing amino acids 285-298 of its sequence. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrated that the BWEM cells expressed both connexin43 and connexin45 and that these connexins colocalized. Connexin45 polypeptide, immunoprecipitated from BWEM cells metabolically labeled with [35S]-methionine, consisted of a predominant 48 kD polypeptide. Connexin45 and connexin43 contained radioactive phosphate when immunoprecipitated from BWEM cells metabolically labeled with [32P]-orthophosphoric acid. This phosphate label was removed from connexin45 by alkaline phosphatase digestion. Treatment of BWEM cells with the tumor promoting agent 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) inhibited intercellular passage of microinjected Lucifer yellow. While TPA treatment induced phosphorylation of connexin43 in these cells, it reduced the expression of connexin45. Furthermore, the connexin45 expressed after TPA treatment was not phosphorylated. These results suggest that treatments which alter protein phosphorylation may regulate connexin43 and connexin45 in BWEM cells by different mechanisms.