Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

A charged view of voltage-gated ion channels

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 10, pages 422–424 (2003)Cite this article

Propagation of electrical signals by nerve cells relies on voltage-sensing ion channel proteins residing in the neuronal membrane. The first structure of a channel of this type dramatically overturns conventional wisdom about how these 'biomolecular transistors' work.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Canonical model of Kv channel gating.
Figure 2: Voltage-sensor movement proposed for Kv channels.

References

  1. Hodgkin, A.L. & Huxley, A.F. J. Physiol. 117, 500–544 (1952).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Doyle, D.A. et al. Science 280, 69–76 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Jiang, Y. et al. Nature 423, 33–41 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Jiang, Y., Ruta, V., Chen, J., Lee, A. & MacKinnon, R. Nature 423, 42–48 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Schoppa, N.E., McCormack, K., Tanouye, M.A. & Sigworth, F.J. Science 255, 1712–1715 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Jiang, Y. et al. Nature 417, 515–522 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Yellen, G. Nature 419, 35–42 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Aggarwal, S.K. & MacKinnon, R. Neuron 16, 1169–1177 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Seoh, S.A., Sigg, D., Papazian, D.M. & Bezanilla, F. Neuron 16, 1159–1167 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Li-Smerin, Y., Hackos, D.H. & Swartz, K.J. J. Gen. Physiol. 115, 33–50 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hong, K.H. & Miller, C. J. Gen. Physiol. 115, 51–58 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Cha, A., Snyder, G.E., Selvin, P.R. & Bezanilla, F. Nature 402, 809–813 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Glauner, K.S., Mannuzzu, L.M., Gandhi, C.S. & Isacoff, E.Y. Nature 402, 813–817 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Yang, N., George, A.L. & Horn, R. Neuron 16, 113–122 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Starace, D.M. & Bezanilla, F. J. Gen. Physiol. 117, 469–490 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Goldstein, S.A. Neuron 16, 717–722 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ruta, V., Jiang, Y., Lee, A., Chen, J. & MacKinnon, R. Nature 422, 180–185 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Swartz, K.J. & MacKinnon, R. Neuron 18, 675–682 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Jakes, K.S., Kienker, P.K., Slatin, S.L. & Finkelstein, A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 4321–4326 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Aziz, Q.H., Partridge, C.J., Munsey, T.S. & Sivaprasadarao, A. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 42719–42725 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bass, R.B., Strop, P., Barclay, M. & Rees, D.C. Science 298, 1582–1587 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Larsson, H.P., Baker, O.S., Dhillon, D.S. & Isacoof, E.Y. Neuron 16, 387–397 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Blaustein, R.O. J. Gen. Physiol. 120, 203–216 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Santacruz-Toloza, L., Huang, Y., John, S.A. & Papazian, D.M. Biochemistry 33, 5607–5613 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Swartz, K.J. & MacKinnon, R. Neuron 25, 411–423 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham, 02454, Massachusetts, USA

    Christopher Miller

Authors
  1. Christopher Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Miller, C. A charged view of voltage-gated ion channels. Nat Struct Mol Biol 10, 422–424 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0603-422

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0603-422

This article is cited by

  • Potassium

    • S P H Alexander
    • A Mathie
    • J A Peters

    British Journal of Pharmacology (2006)

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing