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Related Concept Videos

Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

8.5K
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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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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The Resting Membrane Potential01:21

The Resting Membrane Potential

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Overview
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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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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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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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Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies
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Reconstitution of a Transmembrane Protein, the Voltage-gated Ion Channel, KvAP, into Giant Unilamellar Vesicles for Microscopy and Patch Clamp Studies

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Naview: A d3.js Based JavaScript Library for Drawing and Annotating Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels Membrane Diagrams.

Marcelo Querino Lima Afonso1, Néli José da Fonseca Júnior2, Thainá Godinho Miranda1

  • 1Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Frontiers in Bioinformatics
|October 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Naview is a new open-source tool for creating dynamic, annotated membrane diagrams of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav). This visualization software aids researchers in exploring channel properties and generating publication-ready graphics.

Keywords:
d3.jsdata visualizationjavascriptmembrane plotvoltage gated sodium channel (NaV)

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) are crucial for electrical signaling in excitable cells.
  • Multiple Nav subtypes exist, and mutations are linked to various diseases, driving significant medical interest.
  • Current methods for visualizing Nav channel structures are often manual and lack data interactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce Naview, an open-source JavaScript tool for interactive visualization of voltage-gated sodium channels.
  • To provide researchers with a user-friendly interface for creating and customizing Nav channel membrane diagrams.
  • To facilitate the mapping and display of key channel features for enhanced data exploration.

Main Methods:

  • Naview utilizes the D3.js library for dynamic web-based visualizations.
  • It features a graphical user interface accepting user annotations and UniProt codes.
  • The tool allows customization of diagrams using symbols, colors, and connections to represent channel properties.

Main Results:

  • Naview enables the creation of interactive and customizable membrane diagrams for voltage-gated sodium channels.
  • Users can map and visualize specific channel residues, regions, and properties.
  • The software generates high-quality, publication-ready graphics for research dissemination.

Conclusions:

  • Naview addresses the scarcity of dedicated tools for visualizing voltage-gated sodium channels.
  • The tool enhances data exploration and communication in Nav channel research.
  • Naview offers a valuable resource for the neuroscience and pharmacology communities.