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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]
Ion transporters are classified as a super family of transporters that contain 12 families of transporters. [5] These families are part of the Transport Classification (TC) system that is used by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and are grouped according to characteristics such as the substrates being transported, the transport mechanism, the energy source ...
There are additional names used for ions with multiple charges. For example, an ion with a −2 charge is known as a dianion and an ion with a +2 charge is known as a dication. A zwitterion is a neutral molecule with positive and negative charges at different locations within that molecule. [17]
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.
Potassium ion channels play a key role in maintaining the membrane's electric potential. These ion channels are present in many various biological systems. They frequently play a role in regulation of cellular level processes, many of these processes including muscle relaxation, hypertension, insulin secretion etc. [7] Some examples of potassium ion channels within biological systems include K ...
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.
An example is the sodium-calcium exchanger or antiporter, which allows three sodium ions into the cell to transport one calcium out. [24] This antiporter mechanism is important within the membranes of cardiac muscle cells in order to keep the calcium concentration in the cytoplasm low. [9]
An example of one of these competitors is quaternary ammonium ions, which bind at the extracellular face [84] [85] or central cavity of the channel. [86] For blocking from the central cavity quaternary ammonium ions are also known as open channel blockers, as binding classically requires the prior opening of the cytoplasmic gate.