Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Identification of Specific Sensory Neuron Populations for Study of Expressed Ion Channels
Published on: December 24, 2013
A heuristic derived from analysis of the ion channel structural proteome permits the rapid identification of
Shanlin Rao1, Gianni Klesse1,2, Phillip J Stansfeld1,3
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Ion channel proteins control ionic flux across biological membranes through conformational changes in their transmembrane pores. An exponentially increasing number of channel structures captured in different conformational states are now being determined; however, these newly resolved structures are commonly classified as either open or closed based solely on the physical dimensions of their pore, and it is now known that more accurate annotation of their conductive state requires additional assessment of the effect of pore hydrophobicity. A narrow hydrophobic gate region may disfavor liquid-phase water, leading to local dewetting, which will form an energetic barrier to water and ion permeation without steric occlusion of the pore. Here we quantify the combined influence of radius and hydrophobicity on pore dewetting by applying molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning to nearly 200 ion channel structures. This allows us to propose a simple simulation-free heuristic model that rapidly and accurately predicts the presence of hydrophobic gates. This not only enables the functional annotation of new channel structures as soon as they are determined, but also may facilitate the design of novel nanopores controlled by hydrophobic gates.
More Related Videos
11:19Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
Published on: July 4, 2016
12:59Optimized Transfection Strategy for Expression and Electrophysiological Recording of Recombinant Voltage-Gated Ion Channels in HEK-293T Cells
Published on: January 19, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Non-gated Ion Channels
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
Ligand-gated Ion Channels
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...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory...
Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...