Ion channel proteins open and close ion permeation pathways in response to changes in membrane voltage, neurotransmitters and other chemical ligands, temperature and mechanical forces, enabling ions to move between cellular compartments to generate electrical and chemical signals that are fundamental for a diverse array of physiological cellular process. This collection highlights a series of important papers that delve into fundamental questions concerning the structure, mechanisms and physiological roles of a diverse array of ion channel proteins.
Collection
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Neuroscience
Optogenetic tools enable sophisticated measurements of a voltage-gated sodium channel implicated in pain, as well as high-throughput screening of candidate channel blockers.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
While activated by a common mechanism, both functions in TMEM16F - lipid scrambling and ion conduction - are likely mediated by alternate protein conformations that are at equilibrium in the ligand-bound state.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
The first structure of the human epithelial sodium channel provides vital insight into the assembly, stoichiometry and molecular mechanism of the ion channel central to sodium homeostasis.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Contrary to a generally accepted principle, the pore properties of KCNQ1 channels depend on the states of voltage-sensing domains activation; KCNE1 alters the voltage-sensing domains-pore coupling to modulate KCNQ1 channel properties.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Observation by single molecule FRET of MscL, a prokaryotic mechanosensitive channel, reveals that MscL opens via the helix-tilt model and its pore reaches 2.8 nm in diameter.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Temperature-activated TRPV1 ion channels respond to increased temperatures by opening and then entering an inactivated state from which they cannot recover, suggesting that this form of irreversible gating results from partial unfolding during heat absorption.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
High resolution SthK channel cryo-EM structures in different ligand-bound states combined with single-channel functional data in the same conditions constrain a gating mechanism for CNG channels.
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Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Allosteric modulation of BK channels, vital for the physiology of nerve, muscle and endocrine cells, is determined by direct coupling between gating ring RCK1 domains and the voltage sensor function.
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