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Kcsa: It's a Potassium Channel

Ion conduction and selectivity properties of KcsA, a bacterial ion channel of known structure, were studied in a planar lipid bilayer system at the single-channel level. Selectivity sequences for permeant ions were determined by symmetrical solution conductance (K(+) > Rb(+), NH(4) (+), Tl(+) ≫ C...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: LeMasurier, Meredith, Heginbotham, Lise, Miller, Christopher
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Rockefeller University Press 2001
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2229506/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11524460
Descripción
Sumario:Ion conduction and selectivity properties of KcsA, a bacterial ion channel of known structure, were studied in a planar lipid bilayer system at the single-channel level. Selectivity sequences for permeant ions were determined by symmetrical solution conductance (K(+) > Rb(+), NH(4) (+), Tl(+) ≫ Cs(+), Na(+), Li(+)) and by reversal potentials under bi-ionic or mixed-ion conditions (Tl(+) > K(+) > Rb(+) > NH(4) (+) ≫ Na(+), Li(+)). Determination of reversal potentials with submillivolt accuracy shows that K(+) is over 150-fold more permeant than Na(+). Variation of conductance with concentration under symmetrical salt conditions is complex, with at least two ion-binding processes revealing themselves: a high affinity process below 20 mM and a low affinity process over the range 100–1,000 mM. These properties are analogous to those seen in many eukaryotic K(+) channels, and they establish KcsA as a faithful structural model for ion permeation in eukaryotic K(+) channels.