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Structural biology

Life's transistors

Nature volume 423, pages 21–22 (2003)Cite this article

Voltage-gated ion channels control electrical activity in nerve, muscle and many other cell types. The crystal structure of a bacterial voltage-gated channel reveals the astonishingly simple design of its voltage sensor.

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Figure 1: Voltage sensing in a potassium ion channel.

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  1. the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, 06520-8026, Connecticut, USA

    Fred J. Sigworth

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  1. Fred J. Sigworth
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Correspondence to Fred J. Sigworth.

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Sigworth, F. Life's transistors. Nature 423, 21–22 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/423021a

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