Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Non-gated Ion Channels

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 Channels

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.

Primary Active Transport

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would not...

Primary Active Transport

Primary Active Transport

In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps that are embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they...

Resting Potential Decay

Resting Potential Decay

The resting membrane potential of a neuron (-70mV) is sustained due to the selective ion permeability of the membrane. At the resting potential, the membrane is slightly permeable to ions like sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) and highly permeable to potassium ions (K+). Differences in the ions' concentration inside the cell compared to the outside are maintained by membrane transport proteins like channels and pumps.
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane through...

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

International Forum on Visceral Myopathy 2024: Advances in the Knowledge of the Disease.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2026

Same author

24-hour colonic manometry can reveal exaggerated rectosigmoid junction (sphincter of O'Beirne) activity in severely constipated patients.

Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver·2025

Same author

Determining autonomic sympathetic tone and reactivity using Baevsky's stress index.

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology·2025

Same author

Electromechanical coupling across the gastroduodenal junction.

Acta physiologica (Oxford, England)·2025

Same author

Ingesting yeast extract causes excitation of neurogenic and myogenic colonic motor patterns in the rat.

Journal of cellular and molecular medicine·2024

Same author

Effects of in utero exposure to fluoxetine on the gastrointestinal tract of rat offspring.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2023

Same journal

MYO5B Deficiency Is Associated with Altered MUC13 Localization and DMBT1 Accumulation in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

Same journal

Microbiota dysbiosis and mucosal hyperinnervation contribute to intestinal hyperalgesia in a mouse model of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

Same journal

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass alters microbial circadian rhythms with links to metabolic improvement.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

Same journal

Therapeutic zinc targets dysregulated GC-C signaling and restores ileal defects in a preclinical model of familial diarrheal disease.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

Same journal

Epithelial fucosylation regulates intestinal stem cell differentiation.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

Same journal

Claims regarding the fidelity of extracellular electrical recording from gastrointestinal muscles not validated suitably.

American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique

Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique

Published on: November 11, 2022

Transient outward potassium current in ICC.

Sean P Parsons¹, Jan D Huizinga

¹Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

American Journal of Physiology. Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology

|January 9, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate gut slow-wave activity. Researchers identified a novel transient outward potassium current in ICC, crucial for regulating pacemaker potential upstroke.

More Related Videos

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Published on: February 17, 2017

Visualization of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Network in Mice

Visualization of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Network in Mice

Published on: July 27, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique

Voltage-Dependent Potassium Current Recording on H9c2 Cardiomyocytes via the Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Technique

Published on: November 11, 2022

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Published on: February 17, 2017

Visualization of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Network in Mice

Visualization of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal (ICC) Network in Mice

Published on: July 27, 2011

Area of Science:

Gastroenterology
Cell Physiology
Ion Channel Research

Background:

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are essential for gastrointestinal motility, acting as the gut's primary pacemakers.
Understanding the ion channels involved in ICC pacemaking is key to explaining gut slow-wave activity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the identity and function of potassium channels in ICC.
To characterize a specific transient outward potassium current in ICC.

Main Methods:

Utilized cell-attached patch-clamp recordings from ICC.
Analyzed current activation, inactivation kinetics, single-channel properties, and pharmacology.
Investigated effects of various potassium channel blockers and modulators.

Main Results:

Identified a transient outward potassium current in ICC.
The current exhibited rapid activation and variable biexponential inactivation.
Single-channel analysis revealed a conductance of 5 pS and high K+ selectivity.
Clotrimazole (20 microM) completely blocked the current, while other agents had no effect or slowed activation.

Conclusions:

A novel transient outward potassium current, sensitive to clotrimazole, was characterized in ICC.
This current likely plays a role in modulating the upstroke of the pacemaker potential in ICC.
Further research into this current could offer insights into gastrointestinal pacemaking mechanisms.