The pore of voltage-gated potassium ion channels is strained when closed.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Fowler PW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3674235 | biostudies-other | 2013
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Publications
The pore of voltage-gated potassium ion channels is strained when closed.
Fowler Philip W PW Sansom Mark S P MS
Nature communications 20130101
Voltage-gated potassium channels form potassium-selective pores in cell membranes. They open or close in response to changes in the transmembrane potential and are essential for generating action potentials, and thus for the functioning of heart and brain. While a mechanism for how these channels close has been proposed, it is not clear what drives their opening. Here we use free energy molecular dynamics simulations to show that work must be done on the pore to reduce the kink in the pore-linin ...[more]
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