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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Measuring Nucleotide Binding to Intact, Functional Membrane Proteins in Real Time
Published on: March 11, 2021
Theoretical study of a membrane channel gated by ATP
1Departament d'Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain. orlandi@ecm.ub.es
Abstract:
We study channel transport across biomembranes. We propose a model that couples the diffusive dynamics with the gating process via a two-state ratchet mechanism. This gating process is governed by ATP binding and hydrolysis, and the process exhibits Michaelis-Menten enzymatic kinetics. The particle flow and permeability of the channel are studied both analytically and numerically in the steady-state regime, while working between fixed concentrations. The results are compared with simpler models and with experimental data. Also, a simulation framework, that allows high flexibility in parameter exploration, is introduced.
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