Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 29, 2026

Live-cell Imaging of Fungal Cells to Investigate Modes of Entry and Subcellular Localization of Antifungal Plant Defensins
Published on: December 24, 2017
A possible molecular mechanism for the interaction of defensin with the sensory neuron membrane
V B Plakhova1, B F Shchegolev, I V Rogachevskii
1I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Abstract:
A local membrane potential clamping method was used to study the effects of defensin NP-1 on the membranes of rat spinal ganglion neurons. NP-1 led to decreases in the effective charge for the activation gating system. This process depended on the NP-1 concentration. Use of the Hill equation showed that Kd was 2.10(-12) M and the Hill coefficient was 0.9. The structure of the defensin molecule was optimized using quantum chemical calculations based on a molecular mechanics method. The results obtained from these calculations suggested that a single hydroxyl group directed towards the outer part of thedefensin molecule and forming the carboxyl group of amino acid Glu14 could form a hydrogen bond with the active center of the membrane receptor. This explains the experimentally observed 1:1 stoichiometry of the ligand-receptor binding interaction between the defensin and the sensory neuron membrane.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Action Potentials
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.

