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Ion channels are located within the membrane of all excitable cells, [ 3] and of many intracellular organelles. They are often described as narrow, water-filled tunnels that allow only ions of a certain size and/or charge to pass through. This characteristic is called selective permeability.
Potassium channels are the most diverse group of the ion channel family. [2] [3] They are important in shaping the action potential, and in neuronal excitability and plasticity. [4] The potassium channel family is composed of several functionally distinct isoforms, which can be broadly separated into 2 groups: [5] the practically non ...
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.
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Gating (electrophysiology) An animated representation of the molecular structure of a simple ion channel. In electrophysiology, the term gating refers to the opening ( activation) or closing (by deactivation or inactivation) of ion channels. [ 1] This change in conformation is a response to changes in transmembrane voltage.
Voltage-gated ion channels are a class of transmembrane proteins that form ion channels that are activated by changes in a cell's electrical membrane potential near the channel. The membrane potential alters the conformation of the channel proteins, regulating their opening and closing. Cell membranes are generally impermeable to ions, thus ...
Channelopathies are a group of diseases caused by the dysfunction of ion channel subunits or their interacting proteins. These diseases can be inherited or acquired by other disorders, drugs, or toxins. Mutations in genes encoding ion channels, which impair channel function, are the most common cause of channelopathies. [ 1]
In biochemistry and pharmacology, receptors are chemical structures, composed of protein, that receive and transduce signals that may be integrated into biological systems. [ 1] These signals are typically chemical messengers [ nb 1] which bind to a receptor and produce physiological responses such as change in the electrical activity of a cell.