Molecular Mechanisms of Ion Selectivity in Membrane Proteins: Ion Channels and Transporters

Ion selectivity in channels and transporters

A multitude of biological processes requires the participation of specific cations, such as H + , Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , and Mg 2+. Many of these processes can take place only when proteins have the ability to discriminate between different ions with a very high fidelity. How this is possible is a fundamental question that has fascinated scientists for a long time. At the most fundamental level, ...

Ion homeostasis, channels, and transporters: an update on cellular mechanisms.

The steady-state maintenance of highly asymmetric concentrations of the major inorganic cations and anions is a major function of both plasma membranes and the membranes of intracellular organelles. Homeostatic regulation of these ionic gradients is critical for most functions. Due to their charge, the movements of ions across biological membranes necessarily involves facilitation by intrinsic ...

Ion conduction and selectivity in K(+) channels.

Potassium (K(+)) channels are tetrameric membrane-spanning proteins that provide a selective pore for the conductance of K(+) across the cell membranes. These channels are most remarkable in their ability to discriminate K(+) from Na(+) by more than a thousandfold and conduct at a throughput rate near diffusion limit. The recent progress in the structural characterization of K(+) channel provid...

Ion Conduction and Selectivity in K+ Channels

Structure and selectivity in bestrophin ion channels.

Human bestrophin-1 (hBest1) is a calcium-activated chloride channel from the retinal pigment epithelium, where mutations are associated with vitelliform macular degeneration, or Best disease. We describe the structure of a bacterial homolog (KpBest) of hBest1 and functional characterizations of both channels. KpBest is a pentamer that forms a five-helix transmembrane pore, closed by three rings...