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Sci. STKE, 24 June 2003
Vol. 2003, Issue 188, p. re10
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2003.188.re10]
REVIEWS
Voltage-Gated K Channels
Clay M. Armstrong*
Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6085, USA.
Gloss: This STKE review discusses the structural basis for the selectivity and voltage-dependent gating of the voltage-gated K channel. Ion channels and the electrical properties they confer on cells are involved in every human characteristic that distinguishes us from the stones in a field. Every perception, thought, movement, and heartbeat depends on electrical signals generated by the activity of ion channels. These membrane proteins must show specificity for particular ionic species, facilitate the rapid movement of the selected ions across the cell membrane, and open and shut (gate) in response to appropriate signals. Such gating signals may include changes in the voltage across the cell membrane, mechanical deformation of the membrane, and various chemicals. This review, which focuses on voltage-gated K channels, goes from early views of the relationship between ion channel structure and function to our current picture of how selectivity, conduction, and gating are achieved. This review has eight figures and 56 references.
Citation: C. M. Armstrong, Voltage-Gated K Channels. Sci. STKE2003, re10 (2003).
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