Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Role of Ion Channels in Cancer: Characterization and Potential Treatment Approaches
Published on: June 16, 2023
A Historical Outline of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Ion Channel Research
Rikard Blunck1,2,3
1Department of Physics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada. rikard.blunck@umontreal.ca.
None:
Fluorescence spectroscopy has always played an essential role in biomedical research as a tool to isolate the proteins of interest from their background in a natural environment, and recently, fluorescence spectroscopy has provided dynamical information that can be precisely linked to the ever-increasing wealth of atomic-scale structures. In this chapter, we will discuss the theory underlying the use of fluorescence as a noninvasive tool, review the role it played in deciphering some of the essential mechanisms in ion channels, and outline the latest developments that point to where the field is heading.
Related Concept Videos
Ion Channels
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow...
Non-gated Ion Channels
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism....
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated Ion Channels
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...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels
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 types of...
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels
Sensory...

