G protein-mediated ion channel activation.

Ion Channel Modulation by G-Protein Coupled Receptors

Intracellular signaling, the cellular tool for communication, is a very complex and diverse process. This process relies on elaborate systems of proteins which enable cells to respond to a variety of stimuli in their internal or external environment. Among these membrane proteins is the GPCRs Superfamily. They form the largest and most diverse family of cell surface receptors and proteins. For ...

GIRK Channel Activation Involves a Local Rearrangement of a Preformed G Protein Channel Complex

G protein-coupled signaling is one of the major mechanisms for controlling cellular excitability. One of the main targets for this control at postsynaptic membranes is the G protein-coupled potassium channels (GIRK/Kir3), which generate slow inhibitory postsynaptic potentials following the activation of Pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors. Using total internal reflection fluor...

G protein-mediated stretch reception.

Mechanosensation and -transduction are important for physiological processes like the senses of touch, hearing, and balance. The mechanisms underlying the translation of mechanical stimuli into biochemical information by activating various signaling pathways play a fundamental role in physiology and pathophysiology but are only poorly understood. Recently, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), w...

G protein regulation of potassium ion channels.

Protein ligands for studying ion channel proteins

Protein toxins from venomous organisms have provided remarkable insights into the structure and mechanism of ion channel proteins (Kalia et al., 2015). One classic example is the work of Rod MacKinnon, Chris Miller, and their colleagues on the mechanism by which high-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (or BK channels for Big K conductance) are inhibited by charybdotoxin (Anderson ...