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Related Concept Videos

Ligand-gated Ion Channels01:19

Ligand-gated Ion Channels

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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...
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Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

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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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Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

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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...
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Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

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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.
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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Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

7.8K
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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G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

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GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision.  The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
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Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels

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Ligand-Gated Ion Channels.

Ferdinand Hucho1, Christoph Weise1

  • 1Institut für Chemie - Biochemie Freie Universität Berlin Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin (Germany) Fax: (+49) 30-8385-3753.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|May 2, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Recent advances reveal the structural and functional properties of ion channels, crucial for nerve and muscle activity. This summary focuses on ligand-gated ion channels, integrating new insights into their selectivity and gating mechanisms.

Keywords:
ion channelsneurotransmittersproteinsreceptorsstructure elucidation

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Optimized Transfection Strategy for Expression and Electrophysiological Recording of Recombinant Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in HEK-293T Cells
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Optimized Transfection Strategy for Expression and Electrophysiological Recording of Recombinant Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in HEK-293T Cells

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Proteomics to Identify Proteins Interacting with P2X2 Ligand-Gated Cation Channels
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 11, 2026

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Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels

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Optimized Transfection Strategy for Expression and Electrophysiological Recording of Recombinant Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in HEK-293T Cells
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Optimized Transfection Strategy for Expression and Electrophysiological Recording of Recombinant Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in HEK-293T Cells

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Proteomics to Identify Proteins Interacting with P2X2 Ligand-Gated Cation Channels
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Proteomics to Identify Proteins Interacting with P2X2 Ligand-Gated Cation Channels

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Ion channels are fundamental to biological processes like nerve signaling and muscle contraction.
  • Understanding ion channel structure and function is key to deciphering cellular mechanisms.
  • Ligand-gated ion channels play critical roles in synaptic transmission and cellular communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent structural and functional insights into ion channel proteins.
  • To provide a comprehensive description of ligand-gated ion channels.
  • To integrate novel findings from the past decade into our understanding of ion channel mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography
  • High-resolution electron microscopy
  • Photo-affinity labeling
  • Site-specific mutagenesis
  • Patch-clamp electrophysiology

Main Results:

  • Detailed structural information of several channel proteins has been obtained.
  • Functional properties, including ion selectivity and gating, are being elucidated.
  • Novel insights into the mechanisms of ligand-gated ion channels have emerged.

Conclusions:

  • Recent technological advancements have significantly improved our understanding of ion channel structure and function.
  • Ligand-gated ion channels exhibit remarkable selectivity and gating capabilities.
  • This review integrates recent findings to offer a comprehensive view of these vital proteins.