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Aquaporins

Aquaporins

Aquaporins or AQPs are a family of integral membrane proteins whose primary function is to transport water, while some called aquaglyceroporins also transport glycerol. In addition, aquaporins have also been suspected to be involved in transporting volatile substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia, across membranes. Such AQPs that act as gas channels are often highly expressed in cells involved in the gaseous exchange, such as red blood cells, epithelial cells, and pulmonary capillaries.

Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview

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...

Ion Channels

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...

Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport

Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport

Pore transport and ion-pair formation are critical mechanisms for the absorption and distribution of drugs in the body.
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct microscopic...

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.

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Updated: May 10, 2026

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

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

Published on: August 16, 2016

Water permeation through a charged channel.

Liang Hao¹, Jiaye Su, Hongxia Guo

¹Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B

|June 8, 2013

Summary

This study investigates water and ion transport through charged hydrophilic channels using molecular dynamics simulations. Results reveal how charge density affects flow and occupancy, offering insights for designing nanometer water gates.

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Area of Science:

Physical Chemistry
Nanotechnology
Computational Biophysics

Background:

Transport properties of water through hydrophobic channels are well-studied.
Knowledge of water transport in hydrophilic channels remains limited.
Charged channels represent a key area for understanding water permeation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate water molecule permeation through charged hydrophilic channels.
To compare transport properties with pristine hydrophobic channels.
To explore the impact of charge density, patterns, and channel size on transport.

Main Methods:

Molecular dynamics simulations were employed.
Analytic expressions were derived for water flow in hydrophobic channels.
Permeation of water and ions through charged channels was analyzed.

Main Results:

Water flow decreases with increasing charge density due to increased free energy profile roughness.
Ion flow shows a maximum due to a balance between ion number and attraction.
Water occupancy in charged channels is direction-dependent, influenced by ion excluded volume effects.

Conclusions:

Charge density significantly modulates water and ion transport in hydrophilic channels.
Surface charge patterns and channel size also influence transport properties.
Findings have implications for designing advanced nanometer water gates.