Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

8.1K
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...
8.1K
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

6.7K
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....
6.7K
Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

86.6K
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...
86.6K
Primary Active Transport01:29

Primary Active Transport

10.0K
In contrast to passive transport, active transport involves a substance being moved through membranes in a direction against its concentration or electrochemical gradient. There are two types of active transport: primary active transport and secondary active transport. Primary active transport utilizes chemical energy from ATP to drive protein pumps embedded in the cell membrane. With energy from ATP, the pumps transport ions against their electrochemical gradients—a direction they would...
10.0K
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

3.2K
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....
3.2K
Ligand-gated Ion Channels01:19

Ligand-gated Ion Channels

12.3K
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...
12.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Parasitoid Insect Venom Proteins: Identification, Functions, Evolution, and Biocontrol Potential-Lessons from Hymenoptera and Open Questions in the Coleopteran Ectoparasitoid <i>Dastarcus helophoroides</i>.

Insects·2026
Same author

One-Dimensional Brownian Motion on Unpatterned Two-Dimensional Crystal Surfaces.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Rolling Up Transition Metal Chalcogenides/Oxide Heterostructures Enables Polarity-Tunable and High-Switchable Memristors.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

Spectrally Selective Daytime Radiative Cooling Coating.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same author

3D interconnected periodic carbon-tube membrane enabled self-cleaning solar brine treatment and autonomous salt production.

National science review·2026
Same author

Synergistic Dual-Passivation of Grain Boundaries and Buried Interface for High-Efficiency and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2025

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels
10:07

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels

Published on: January 27, 2013

15.0K

A highly-selective biomimetic potassium channel.

Junliang Zhu1, Hu Qiu1, Wanlin Guo1

  • 1Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Institute for Frontier Science, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.

National Science Review
|August 21, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists created artificial potassium nanochannels mimicking biological channels. These biomimetic channels show high selectivity for potassium over sodium ions, advancing membrane filtration and sensing technologies.

Keywords:
K+/Na+ selectivitybiomimetic designcarbon nanotubemolecular dynamics simulations

More Related Videos

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors
10:59

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors

Published on: February 10, 2014

10.2K
Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection
10:00

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Published on: February 17, 2017

9.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 16, 2025

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels
10:07

High-throughput Screening for Small-molecule Modulators of Inward Rectifier Potassium Channels

Published on: January 27, 2013

15.0K
Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors
10:59

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors

Published on: February 10, 2014

10.2K
Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection
10:00

Controllable Ion Channel Expression through Inducible Transient Transfection

Published on: February 17, 2017

9.3K

Area of Science:

  • Biomimetic materials science
  • Computational biophysics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Biological ion channels exhibit remarkable selectivity, crucial for cellular functions.
  • Artificial channels struggle to replicate this selectivity, limiting applications in filtration and sensing.
  • The KcsA potassium channel serves as a model for understanding selective ion transport.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and simulate a biomimetic nanochannel with high potassium ion selectivity.
  • To investigate the transport mechanisms and selectivity determinants in artificial ion channels.
  • To explore the potential of these channels for advanced separation and sensing technologies.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular dynamics simulations to model ion permeation and selectivity.
  • Free energy calculations to determine energy barriers for ion transport.
  • Design of carbon nanotube-based nanochannels functionalized with carbonyl oxygen atoms.

Main Results:

  • The proposed biomimetic nanochannel demonstrated high potassium (K+) permeation rates.
  • A high selectivity ratio for K+ over sodium (Na+) ions was observed.
  • Lower Na+ permeability was attributed to higher energy barriers at the channel entrance and binding sites.

Conclusions:

  • The biomimetic nanochannel design successfully mimics biological ion channel selectivity.
  • Findings provide insights into the mechanisms of selective ion transport.
  • The study offers a promising platform for developing high-performance artificial membranes and sensors.