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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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The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

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A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
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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

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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

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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Reconstitution of a Kv Channel into Lipid Membranes for Structural and Functional Studies
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Reconstitution of a Kv Channel into Lipid Membranes for Structural and Functional Studies

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High-Resolution Structures of K+ Channels.

Qiu-Xing Jiang1,2,3

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Cryo-EM Center, Hauptmann-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA. qxjiang@hwi.buffalo.edu.

Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology
|April 8, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Potassium channels are vital for cell function and treating diseases. High-resolution structures reveal their mechanisms, aiding drug development for channelopathies.

Keywords:
Activation, deactivation, and inactivationCo-evolution of channels and lipidsEnergetics and allosteryLigand-gated K+ channelsLipid-dependent gatingPharmacological regulators and small molecule compoundsStructure-based drug designVoltage-gated K+ channels (Kv)

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Mutagenesis and Functional Analysis of Ion Channels Heterologously Expressed in Mammalian Cells
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Mutagenesis and Functional Analysis of Ion Channels Heterologously Expressed in Mammalian Cells

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Making, Testing, and Using Potassium Ion Selective Microelectrodes in Tissue Slices of Adult Brain
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Making, Testing, and Using Potassium Ion Selective Microelectrodes in Tissue Slices of Adult Brain

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Mutagenesis and Functional Analysis of Ion Channels Heterologously Expressed in Mammalian Cells
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Making, Testing, and Using Potassium Ion Selective Microelectrodes in Tissue Slices of Adult Brain
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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Potassium channels are essential transmembrane proteins found in all cells, regulating membrane potential and cellular functions.
  • Dysfunction of potassium channels is linked to various human diseases, making them critical therapeutic targets.
  • Pharmacological agents targeting potassium channels are crucial for disease treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate key structural insights into potassium channel function using high-resolution structures.
  • To explore proposed allosteric mechanisms, channel-lipid interactions, and co-evolution.
  • To infer conserved molecular mechanisms across K+ channel subfamilies for drug development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of high-resolution potassium channel structures.
  • Integration of biophysical and structural data.
  • Inference of conserved mechanisms and allosteric pathways.

Main Results:

  • High-resolution structures provide detailed insights into ion selectivity, conduction, and gating.
  • Structural data reveals allosteric regulation and channel-lipid interactions.
  • Conserved structural features suggest common molecular mechanisms across K+ channel subfamilies.

Conclusions:

  • Structural studies have significantly advanced the understanding of potassium channel biophysics and function.
  • Structure-based insights facilitate the design of targeted pharmacological agents for channelopathies.
  • Understanding channel structures enables the development of specific pharmaceutical agents for diverse K+ channel subfamilies.