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Published on: February 8, 2011
Computational Analysis of Current and Noise Properties of a Single Open Ion Channel
Enrico Piccinini1, Fabio Affinito1, Rossella Brunetti1
1Advanced Research Center on Electronic Systems and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica, Informatica e Sistemistica, Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia S3 Research Center and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
Abstract:
This paper presents a computational analysis of the noise associated with the ion current in single open ion channels. The study is performed by means of a coupled molecular dynamics/Monte Carlo approach able to simulate the conduction process on the basis of all microscopic information today available from protein structural data and atomistic simulations. The case of potassium ions permeating the KcsA channel is considered in the numerical calculations. The results show a noise spectrum different from what is theoretically predicted for Poisson noise, confirmed by the existence of a correlation in ion-exit events.
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