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Related Concept Videos

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
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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.
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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.
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Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

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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.
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Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

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Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
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Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...

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Patch Clamp and Perfusion Techniques for Studying Ion Channels Expressed in Xenopus oocytes
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Multiple modalities converge on a common gate to control K2P channel function.

Sviatoslav N Bagriantsev1, Rémi Peyronnet, Kimberly A Clark

  • 1Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, 94158-9001, USA.

The EMBO Journal
|July 19, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Protons, heat, and pressure modulate the K2P2.1 potassium channel at a shared molecular gate. This conserved gating mechanism in K2P channels explains their diverse sensory functions.

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Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors

Published on: February 10, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Molecular biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Ion channel physiology

Background:

  • K2P potassium channels are crucial for neuronal excitability, influencing pain, anesthesia, and mood.
  • These channels respond to diverse stimuli like chemical, thermal, and mechanical inputs.
  • The molecular basis for how different stimuli gate K2P channels remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether diverse gating stimuli converge on common or separate molecular elements in K2P channels.
  • To identify the specific molecular gate responsible for polymodal gating in K2P2.1 (KCNK2/TREK-1).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized functional assays to study the activity of K2P2.1 channels.
  • Investigated the effects of protons, heat, and pressure on channel gating.
  • Employed molecular and structural analyses to pinpoint the gating elements.

Main Results:

  • Protons, heat, and pressure converge on a common molecular gate within K2P2.1 channels.
  • This shared gate involves pore-forming segments and the N-terminal M4 transmembrane segment.
  • The M4 gating element is conserved across K2P family members and functions for both inhibitory and activating stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • A conserved gating mechanism involving the M4 element underlies the polymodal sensory properties of K2P channels.
  • Diverse sensory roles of K2P channels arise from coupling various sensors to this conserved gating apparatus.
  • This finding provides a unified understanding of K2P channel regulation and function.