Ion Channel: Pore-forming membrane protein that allows the passage of ions through a membrane
An ion channel is a pore-forming protein that helps to establish and control the small voltage gradient across the plasma membrane of all living cells (see resting potential) by allowing the flow of ions down their electrochemical gradient.
They are present in the membranes that surround all biological cells.
An ion channel is an integral membrane protein or more typically an assembly of several proteins.
The 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon for their discovery of ion channels.
References
Notes
- Bertil Hille: Ion channels of excitable membranes, 3rd ed., Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA (2001). ISBN 0-87893-321-2
Related pages
Other websites
- An Interview with Roderick MacKinnon Freeview video by the Vega Science Trust.
- The Voltage Sensor in Voltage-Dependent Ion Channels
- X-ray crystal structure of a potassium channel Archived 2009-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Neuromuscular Disease Center at Washington University
- Nobel Prize Press Release
- International Union of Pharmacologists, Ion channel compendium Archived 2007-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
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