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Related Concept Videos

Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

88.6K
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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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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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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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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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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Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview01:21

Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview

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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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Recapitulation of an Ion Channel IV Curve Using Frequency Components
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Recapitulation of an Ion Channel IV Curve Using Frequency Components

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Angstrom-scale ion channels towards single-ion selectivity.

Huacheng Zhang1, Xingya Li2, Jue Hou3

  • 1Chemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. huacheng.zhang@rmit.edu.au.

Chemical Society Reviews
|February 28, 2022
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Summary

Artificial angstrom-sized ion channels (<1 nm) achieve high ion selectivity and conductivity, surpassing nanoscale channels. This review details their design, synthesis, and applications in separation and energy conversion.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Electrochemistry

Background:

  • Biological ion channels are crucial for cellular functions, inspiring the development of artificial counterparts.
  • Existing nanoscale artificial ion channels exhibit gating and rectification but lack high ion selectivity, especially single-ion selectivity.
  • Sub-nanometer and angstrom-sized artificial ion channels (<1 nm) offer enhanced ion selectivity and conductivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the progress in rational design and synthesis of artificial subnanometer-sized ion channels.
  • To discuss the ion selectivity (cation/anion, mono-/di-valent, single-ion) and permeability of these synthetic channels.
  • To highlight potential applications and future challenges in the field of angstrom-scale ion channels.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of artificial ion channels with controlled pore sizes (<1 nm) and structures.
  • Characterization of ion transport properties, including conductivity and selectivity.
  • Analysis of structure-property relationships for optimizing channel performance.

Main Results:

  • Artificial angstrom-sized ion channels demonstrate ion permeability and selectivity comparable to biological channels.
  • These channels achieve high ion conductivity and single-ion selectivity, outperforming larger nanoscale channels.
  • Successful synthesis of channels with 0D to 3D pore structures has been achieved.

Conclusions:

  • Artificial angstrom-sized ion channels represent a significant advancement for selective ion transport.
  • These channels hold great promise for applications in high-efficiency ion separation, energy conversion, and therapeutics.
  • Further research is needed to bridge the gap in single-ion selectivity with natural channels and explore new applications.