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Structural biology

Ion channel seen by electron microscopy

Nature volume 504, pages 93–94 (2013)Cite this article

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Structures of the heat-sensitive TRPV1 ion channel have been solved using single-particle electron cryo-microscopy, representing a landmark in the use of this technique for structural biology. See Articles p.107 & p.113

Membrane proteins known as transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels occur in species ranging from yeast to humans. Members of this receptor family are involved in the perception of an enormous range of stimuli1, including vision (in invertebrates), taste, hot or cold temperatures, pH and physical forces. On page 107 of this issue, Liao et al.2 report the first high-resolution structure of TRPV1, the ion channel responsible for sensing heat. And in a second paper from the same group, Cao et al.3 (page 113) describe the sites at which three ligand molecules bind to TRPV1, and how this binding triggers the opening of the channel.

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Figure 1: TRPV1 in closed and open states.

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  1. Richard Henderson is at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.,

    Richard Henderson

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Correspondence to Richard Henderson.

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Henderson, R. Ion channel seen by electron microscopy. Nature 504, 93–94 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/504093a

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