the relative lack of current drugs targeting ion channels suggests that there are also disadvantages to targeting ion channels. This is indeed the case. Disadvantages include: 1. Most ion channels are expressed in more than one cell type decreasing the ability to target organs 2. Given their critical role in cellular homeostasis, modulation can have significant side effects 3. A specific disadv...

Ion channels catalyze the transmembrane movement of small inorganic ions across biological membranes. They do so by forming continuous, hydrophilic pores through which ions can cross the barrier imposed by the lipid bilayer hydrophobic core. Ion channels serve many functions: they underlie the changes in membrane potential that control many cell functions, including the propagated electrical si...

Glutamate is an indispensable neurotransmitter, triggering postsynaptic signals upon recognition by postsynaptic receptors. We questioned the phylogenetic position and the molecular details of when and where glutamate recognition arose in the glutamate-gated chloride channels. Experiments revealed that glutamate recognition requires an arginine residue in the base of the binding site, which ori...

objective: intra-peritoneal administration of riluzole has been shown to preserve the membrane properties and firing characteristics of purkinje neurons in a rat model of cerebellar ataxia induced by 3-acetylpyridine (3-ap). however, the exact mechanism(s) by which riluzole restores the normal electrophysiological properties of purkinje neurons is not completely understood. changes in the condu...