Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

BK channels: the spring between sensor and gate.

Diane M Papazian1

  • 1Department of Physiology and Molecular Biology Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.

Neuron
|June 9, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Potassium channels use a mechanical spring to link their sensor domain to the cytoplasmic pore gate. This finding reveals a simple mechanism controlling ion channel function.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Altered closed state inactivation gating in Kv4.2 channels results in developmental and epileptic encephalopathies in human patients.

Human mutation·2022
Same author

Infant and adult SCA13 mutations differentially affect Purkinje cell excitability, maturation, and viability in vivo.

eLife·2020
Same author

Kv4.2 autism and epilepsy mutation enhances inactivation of closed channels but impairs access to inactivated state after opening.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2018
Same author

In Vivo Analysis of Potassium Channelopathies: Loose Patch Recording of Purkinje Cell Firing in Living, Awake Zebrafish.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2017
Same author

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 19/22 mutations alter heterocomplex Kv4.3 channel function and gating in a dominant manner.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2015
Same author

Rapid development of Purkinje cell excitability, functional cerebellar circuit, and afferent sensory input to cerebellum in zebrafish.

Frontiers in neural circuits·2015

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Potassium channels are crucial for cellular electrical signaling.
  • They possess an ion-selective pore and a gating sensor.
  • The mechanism linking these domains was previously unclear.

Discussion:

  • Niu et al. present evidence for a mechanical spring model.
  • This spring connects the channel's sensor and gate domains.
  • The study elucidates the gating mechanism of K+ channels.

Key Insights:

  • A simple mechanical spring acts as the link between K+ channel sensor and gate.
  • This provides a fundamental understanding of channel gating.
  • The findings have implications for ion channel function and regulation.

Outlook:

  • Further research can explore the spring's properties in different K+ channel subtypes.
  • This mechanism may be conserved across various ion channels.
  • Understanding this linkage could inform drug development for channelopathies.

Related Experiment Videos