Work

Thermodynamics of voltage-gated ion channels

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: Ion channels are essential for cellular signaling. Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) are the largest and most extensively studied superfamily of ion channels. They possess modular structural features such as voltage-sensing domains that encircle and form mechanical connections with the pore-forming domains. Such features are intimately related to their function in sensing and responding to changes in the membrane potential. In the present work, we discuss the thermodynamic mechanisms of the VGIC superfamily, including the two-state gating mechanism, sliding-rocking mechanism of the voltage sensor, subunit cooperation, lipid-infiltration mechanism of inactivation, and the relationship with their structural features.

Source: Biophysics Reports

DOI: 10.1007/s41048-018-0074-y

Authors: Xuejun C. Zhang, Hanting Yang, Zhenfeng Liu, Fei Sun

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Ion channel regulation and function

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Peking University

Award: MFS家族转运蛋白结构与功能研究