Abstract
THE limitations of the gramicidin channel as a model for physiological channels are the apparent requirement of D-amino acids in the channel structure and the absence of a useful voltage dependence. The synthetic channel, HCO–(L-Ala–L-Ala–Gly)5–OMe, is shown here to form monovalent cation-selective channels in planar lipid bilayers where they exhibit a significant voltage dependence. The selectivity is similar to that of gramicidin; but the channel mean lifetime and voltage dependence are dramatically different, making the synthetic channel more similar to physiological channels.
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URRY, D., BRADLEY, R. & OHNISHI, T. Characterisation of a synthetic, voltage-dependent, cation-selective transmembrane channel. Nature 274, 382–383 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/274382a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/274382a0
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