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Related Concept Videos

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...
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.
Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview01:21

Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview

An electrochemical gradient is a fundamental concept in biology and chemistry. It regulates the movement of ions across cell membranes. This movement is influenced by two factors:
The electrical gradient: The electrical gradient across cell membranes refers to the difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a cell.  This difference drives the movement of ions towards or away from the cells. For instance, if the inside of the cell is more negatively charged relative to the...
Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes01:15

Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes

Membrane electrodes, also known as p-ion electrodes, use membranes that selectively interact with free analyte ions, generating a potential difference across the membrane. The resulting membrane potential, known as the asymmetry potential, is not zero even when analyte concentrations on both sides of the membrane are equal. The membrane's response is typically not selective to a single analyte but proportional to the concentration of all ions in the sample solution capable of interacting at the...
The Significance of Membrane Transport01:44

The Significance of Membrane Transport

The transport of solutes across the cell membrane is essential for metabolic processes, like maintaining cell size and volume, generating the action potential, exchanging nutrients and gases, etc. Membrane transport can be either passive or active. It can be simple diffusion, facilitated, or mediated transport aided by transport proteins such as transporters and channels.
Transporters facilitate either an active or passive movement of solutes. They can allow a single-molecule transport down its...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique
06:43

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Published on: May 26, 2021

Electrostatically gated membrane permeability in inorganic protocells.

Mei Li1, Rachel L Harbron, Jonathan V M Weaver

  • 1Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK. mei.li@bristol.ac.uk

Nature Chemistry
|May 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created protocell models with self-controlled membrane permeability using silica nanoparticles. The inorganic membrane selectively releases and uptakes molecules, enabling triggered reactions within the artificial cell.

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Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
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Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution

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Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies
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Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies

Published on: January 22, 2015

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Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique
06:43

Functional Assessment of Intestinal Tight Junction Barrier and Ion Permeability in Native Tissue by Ussing Chamber Technique

Published on: May 26, 2021

Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
11:55

Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution

Published on: August 16, 2016

Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies
11:42

Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies

Published on: January 22, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Biotechnology
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Producing functional microcompartments analogous to primitive cell-like structures is an active area of research.
  • A significant challenge remains in developing protocell constructs with self-controlled membrane permeability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and construct protocell models with self-activated, electrostatically gated membrane permeability.
  • To create artificial chemical cells capable of selective molecular transport and triggered internal reactions.

Main Methods:

  • Preparation of water-dispersible colloidosomes using silica nanoparticles.
  • Formation of a continuous semipermeable inorganic membrane via crosslinking and grafting of a pH-responsive copolymer.
  • Characterization of the membrane's selective release and uptake of small molecules based on copolymer charge.

Main Results:

  • Successfully generated colloidosomes with an ultrathin, elastic inorganic membrane.
  • Demonstrated self-activated, electrostatically gated permeability for selective molecular transport.
  • Showcased triggered enzymatic dephosphorylation reactions within the protocell interior based on membrane behavior.

Conclusions:

  • The developed system represents a significant advancement in creating protocell models with tunable membrane permeability.
  • This approach offers a novel pathway for designing artificial chemical cells based on inorganic self-organization principles.
  • The ability to control molecular transport and trigger internal reactions is crucial for future protocell development.