Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
10:41
Capturing the Interaction Kinetics of an Ion Channel Protein with Small Molecules by the Bio-layer Interferometry Assay
Published on: March 7, 2018
Channelpedia: an integrative and interactive database for ion channels
Rajnish Ranjan1, Georges Khazen, Luca Gambazzi
1Blue Brain Project, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland.
Frontiers in Neuroinformatics
|January 11, 2012
Summary
Channelpedia is a new online resource for ion channel information. It integrates research data and computational models, aiding collaboration and discovery in neuroscience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Ion channels are crucial membrane proteins regulating cellular electrical and biochemical processes, particularly in neurons.
- Extensive research has characterized ion channel properties, leading to computational models, but a unified resource is missing.
- Previous efforts to consolidate ion channel data faced challenges due to diverse approaches and data formats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present Channelpedia, a comprehensive, web-based resource for ion channel information and computational models.
- To provide an efficient information management framework for researchers.
- To facilitate collaboration and synthesis of ion channel data from scientific literature.
Main Methods:
- Developed Channelpedia as a combination of a database and a wiki-like discussion platform.
- Implemented an efficient information management framework.
- Integrated automatic reference updates to highlight recent publications.
Main Results:
- Channelpedia is freely accessible online (http://channelpedia.net).
- The platform currently contains 187 annotated ion channels and 45 Hodgkin-Huxley models.
- It enables researchers to collaborate and synthesize ion channel information.
Conclusions:
- Channelpedia addresses the need for a centralized, collaborative resource for ion channel research.
- The platform facilitates the integration of experimental and computational data.
- It aims to advance the understanding of ion channel function in neuronal processes.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Ion 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...
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
01:24Non-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.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
01:24Non-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.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
01:19Facilitated Transport
The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a membrane via...
01:19Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
01:19Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...