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Ion channels allow the movement of ions across cell membranes, and therefore fundamental physiological processes such as muscle contraction. In 1998, we saw for the first time what an ion channel actually looks like in a paper describing the crystal structure of a potassium channel. Now we have an array of ion channel structures, which we exemplify in this regularly updated collection of papers that illustrate the structural revolution that the field is currently experiencing.
How do the lipids and proteins of the cell membrane interact to create a functioning barrier for the cell? A high-resolution structure of a membrane protein reveals intimate contacts with its lipid neighbours.
Determining the structure of cell-membrane ion channels was thought to be mission impossible. Alison Abbott meets the researcher who proved the doubters wrong, opening new windows on cellular function.
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.
Most ion channels open and close — they are 'gated' — in response to cues in their environment. A crystal structure of a Ca2+-gated K+-ion channel provides insight into how gating works.
Proteins that conduct chloride ions are vital for a range of cellular processes. The long-awaited crystal structure of a chloride channel shows what these proteins look like, and gives hints about how they work.
Nearly all cells have membranes spanned by potassium-conducting channel proteins, without which your nerves (and much else) simply wouldn't work. Ion permeation through these channels can now be seen in dazzling detail.
Potassium channels can be closed by a process known as inactivation — this is, for instance, how nerve cells regulate firing frequency. Events involved in inactivation are now revealed in unprecedented detail.