Voltage-gated ion channels
Abstract
Voltage-gated ion channels are integral membrane proteins that enable the passage of selected inorganic ions across cell membranes. They open and close in response to changes in transmembrane voltage, and play a key role in electrical signaling by excitable cells such as neurons. Voltage-gated K+, Na+ and Ca2+ channels are thought to have similar overall architectures. X-ray crystallographic studies of bacterial homologs have provided considerable insights into the relationship between channel structure and function in various classes of K+ channels, including the voltage-gated (Kv) ones. But despite these advances, the exact structure of the Kv voltage sensor, and how the Kv channel structure changes in response to changes in transmembrane voltage, remain elusive.
- Publication:
-
Current Biology
- Pub Date:
- January 2005
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.cub.2004.12.050
- Bibcode:
- 2005CBio...15..R44S