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Potassium in biology. The sodium–potassium pump a critical enzyme for regulating sodium and potassium levels in cells. Potassium is the main intracellular ion for all types of cells, while having a major role in maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance. [1][2] Potassium is necessary for the function of all living cells and is thus present ...
Potassium channel Kv1.2, structure in a membrane-like environment. Calculated hydrocarbon boundaries of the lipid bilayer are indicated by red and blue lines. Potassium channels are the most widely distributed type of ion channel found in virtually all organisms. [1] They form potassium -selective pores that span cell membranes.
Potassium is the eighth or ninth most common element by mass (0.2%) in the human body, so that a 60 kg adult contains a total of about 120 g of potassium. [83] The body has about as much potassium as sulfur and chlorine, and only calcium and phosphorus are more abundant (with the exception of the ubiquitous CHON elements). [84]
As K + passes through the pore, interactions between potassium ions and water molecules are prevented and the K + interacts with specific atomic components of the Thr-Val-Gly-[YF]-Gly sequences from the four channel subunits . It may seem counterintuitive that a channel should allow potassium ions but not the smaller sodium ions through.
Electrolyte imbalance. Diagram of ion concentrations and charge across a semi-permeable cellular membrane. Electrolyte imbalance, or water-electrolyte imbalance, is an abnormality in the concentration of electrolytes in the body. Electrolytes play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the body. They help to regulate heart and neurological ...
The structure of the complex of sodium (Na +) and the antibiotic monensin A Structure of a potassium complex of a crown ether, a synthetic ionophore-ion complex. Biological activities of metal ion-binding compounds can be changed in response to the increment of the metal concentration, and based on the latter compounds can be classified as "metal ionophores", "metal chelators" or "metal ...
GJB2 is widely expressed throughout the body, with particularly important functions in the inner ear and skin. In the cochlea, GJB2 is believed to be essential for maintaining proper potassium ion levels and for the maturation of certain cochlear cells, both of which are critical for the process of converting sound waves into electrical nerve ...
structure summary. Inward-rectifier potassium channels (Kir, IRK) are a specific lipid-gated subset of potassium channels. To date, seven subfamilies have been identified in various mammalian cell types, [1] plants, [2] and bacteria. [3] They are activated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP 2).