Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Voltage-gated ion-channels are usually ion-specific, and channels specific to sodium (Na +), potassium (K +), calcium (Ca 2+), and chloride (Cl −) ions have been identified. [1] The opening and closing of the channels are triggered by changing ion concentration, and hence charge gradient, between the sides of the cell membrane.
Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as Na +, K +, Ca 2+, and/or Cl − to pass through the membrane in response to the binding of a chemical messenger (i.e. a ligand), such as a neurotransmitter.
Ion channels may be classified by gating, i.e. what opens and closes the channels. For example, voltage-gated ion channels open or close depending on the voltage gradient across the plasma membrane, while ligand-gated ion channels open or close depending on binding of ligands to the channel. [14]
The ball and chain model, also known as N-type inactivation or hinged lid inactivation, is a gating mechanism for some voltage-gated ion channels. Voltage-gated ion channels are composed of 4 [dubious – discuss] α subunits, one or more of which will have a ball domain located on its cytoplasmic N-terminus. [28]
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), also known as voltage-dependent sodium channels (VDSCs), are a group of voltage-gated ion channels found in the membrane of excitable cells (e.g., muscle, glial cells, neurons, etc.) with a permeability to the sodium ion Na +. They are the main channels involved in action potential of excitable cells.
A voltage-gated ion channel is a transmembrane protein that has three key properties: It is capable of assuming more than one conformation. At least one of the conformations creates a channel through the membrane that is permeable to specific types of ions. The transition between conformations is influenced by the membrane potential. Thus, a ...
Ion channels are typically categorised by gating mechanism and by the ion they conduct. Note that an ion channel may overlap between different categories. Some channels conduct multiple ion currents and some are gated by multiple mechanisms. Examples of targets for modulators include: Voltage-gated ion channels. Calcium channel: see also ...
Most light-gated ion channels have been synthesized in the laboratory for study, although two naturally occurring examples, channelrhodopsin and anion-conducting channelrhodopsin, are currently known. [1] [2] Photoreceptor proteins, which act in a similar manner to light-gated ion channels, are generally classified instead as G protein-coupled ...