Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2026

10:19
Patch Clamp and Perfusion Techniques for Studying Ion Channels Expressed in Xenopus oocytes
Published on: January 10, 2011
Potassium channels in the apical membrane of the toad gallbladder
Nature
|October 19, 1978
Abstract
No abstract available in PubMed .
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Related Concept Videos
Ion Channels
The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Non-gated Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Non-gated Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Reabsorption and Secretion in the Loop of Henle
The thick ascending limb of the nephron loop has Na+–K+–2Cl− symporters in the apical membranes of its cells. These symporters simultaneously reclaim one sodium ion, one potassium ion, and two chloride ions from the tubular fluid. Sodium ions are actively transported into the interstitial fluid at the base and sides of the cell, diffusing into the vasa recta. Chloride ions move through leakage channels in the basolateral membrane into the interstitial fluid and then into the vasa recta.
Reabsorption and Secretion in the DCT and Collecting Duct
The early phase of the DCT manages the reabsorption of approximately 10-15% of filtered water, 5–10% of filtered sodium, and 5–10% of filtered chloride. This process is facilitated by Na+–Cl− symporters in apical membranes and sodium-potassium pumps, as well as Cl− leakage channels in basolateral membranes. The early DCT also stands out as a site where parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates calcium reabsorption, depending on the body's requirements.
The distal part of the DCT, along with the...
The distal part of the DCT, along with the...