Tetrameric cation channels are the largest and best characterized group of ion channels. For this type of ion channel, the ion pathway lies in a pore domain consisting of two transmembrane helices ...

Potassium channels are responsible for the selective permeation of K⁺ ions across cell membranes. K⁺ ions permeate in single file through the selectivity filter, a narrow pore lined by backbone ...

Potassium channels can become nonconducting via inactivation at a gate inside the highly conserved selectivity filter (SF) region near the extracellular side of the membrane. In certain ligand-gated ...

Intrigued by the properties of ion channel proteins commonly observed in cells, researchers have developed the first synthetic mechanosensitive potassium channel using a newly developed aromatic ...

They are literally channels for communication: Pore-forming proteins in living cells, termed ion channels, are embedded in the outer membrane of almost all cell types and play a crucial role in the ...

Despite being only a few nanometers in size, they are of fundamental importance for biological processes: Ion channels allow essential ions such as potassium and sodium to enter and leave our cells.

Aquaglyceroporin Aqp10, a protein channel for water and glycerol, selectively permeates urea and boric acid due to its unique structural features—report researchers from Japan. By comparing and ...