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Related Concept Videos

Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

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Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
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...
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Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview01:21

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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...
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G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

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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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Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

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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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Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

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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.
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Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Purification of Endogenous Drosophila Transient Receptor Potential Channels
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Transient receptor potential channels: current perspectives on evolution, structure, function and nomenclature.

Nathaniel J Himmel1, Daniel N Cox1

  • 1Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|August 27, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are vital in animal life beyond sensory systems. This review redefines TRP channel nomenclature, incorporating non-vertebrate species for a comprehensive evolutionary understanding.

Keywords:
ion channel evolutionmolecular evolutiontransient receptor potential evolutiontransient receptor potential phylogeny

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Expression and Purification of the Human Lipid-sensitive Cation Channel TRPC3 for Structural Determination by Single-particle Cryo-electron Microscopy
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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are crucial ion channels with diverse sensory functions in animals.
  • TRP channel research has historically focused on vertebrates, potentially overlooking their roles in other eukaryotes.
  • Genomic data reveals TRP channels across a wide range of eukaryotes, including algae and fungi.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively review the function, structure, and evolutionary history of TRP channels.
  • To propose a revised, non-vertebrate-centric nomenclature for TRP channel families and subfamilies.
  • To highlight the evolutionary expansion and diversification of TRP channels beyond the animal kingdom.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of TRP channel genes across diverse eukaryotic taxa.
  • Comparative genomics and transcriptomics to identify and classify TRP channel homologs.
  • Literature review of existing TRP channel research, focusing on functional and structural data.

Main Results:

  • The TRP superfamily is more ancient and widespread than previously recognized, existing in various eukaryotes.
  • Existing TRP channel nomenclature is heavily vertebrate-centric, obscuring evolutionary relationships.
  • A new, comprehensive classification and nomenclature system for TRP channels across eukaryotes is proposed.

Conclusions:

  • TRP channels play fundamental roles across eukaryotic life, not just in animal sensory systems.
  • A non-vertebrate-centric nomenclature is essential for accurate evolutionary studies of TRP channels.
  • This revised framework facilitates a deeper understanding of TRP channel evolution and function in a broader biological context.