Normal development, function and repair of the sensory epithelia in the inner ear are all dependent on proper cell junctions..Mutations in the connexin genes GJB2 and GJB6 disrupt the connections between adjacent cells in the epithelia of the cochlea. It is believed that disruption of these connections leads to a disruption of the proper flow of K ions from the cytoplasm of one cell to the cytoplasm of the next cell, leading to deafness. The disrupted junctions described above are.

A. plasmodesmata
B. adherens junctions
C. gap junctions
D. tight junctions