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Related Concept Videos

Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation01:29

Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation

Although not a source of energy, cholesterol plays a significant role as a foundational structure for bile salts, steroid hormones, and vitamin D, as well as being a crucial component of plasma membranes. Approximately 15% of blood cholesterol is derived from our diet, with the remainder synthesized from acetyl CoA by the liver and intestines. Cholesterol is eliminated from the body through its conversion into bile salts, which are eventually discarded in the feces.
Considering cholesterol and...
Ion Channels01:19

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...
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

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.
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

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.
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

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...

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Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol
10:12

Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol

Published on: March 25, 2020

Cholesterol and Kir channels.

Irena Levitan1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Section, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. levitan@uic.edu

IUBMB Life
|June 24, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cholesterol impacts various Kir channels differently, affecting their function and membrane localization. This review summarizes current knowledge on these distinct cholesterol-Kir channel interactions.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Membrane Physiology

Background:

  • Kir channels are crucial ion channels involved in various physiological processes.
  • Most Kir channel subtypes (Kir2, Kir3, Kir4, Kir6) interact with cholesterol-rich membrane domains.
  • Cholesterol's influence on Kir channel function is subtype-specific, despite structural similarities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the diverse effects of cholesterol on different Kir channel subtypes.
  • To summarize current understanding of cholesterol-Kir channel interactions in vitro and in vivo.
  • To highlight knowledge gaps regarding cholesterol sensitivity mechanisms in various Kir channels.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating Kir channel-cholesterol interactions.
  • Analysis of in vitro and in vivo experimental data on Kir channel function and cholesterol levels.
  • Synthesis of findings on cholesterol's impact on Kir channel activity, localization, and coupling.

Main Results:

  • Cholesterol can decrease Kir2 channel current density.
  • Cholesterol depletion can abolish Kir4 channel activity.
  • Cholesterol affects Kir3 and Kir6 channel coupling through various mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Cholesterol exerts diverse regulatory effects on different Kir channel subtypes.
  • Understanding these distinct interactions is crucial for elucidating Kir channel physiology.
  • Further research is needed to uncover the mechanisms behind cholesterol sensitivity in most Kir channels.