Imaging Voltage Gating of Endogenous Neuronal Ion Channels with Fluorescent Tarantula Toxin

Voltage-dependent ion channels and their gating.

Voltage- and cold-dependent gating of single TRPM8 ion channels

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play critical roles in cell signaling by coupling various environmental factors to changes in membrane potential that modulate calcium influx. TRP channels are typically activated in a polymodal manner, thus integrating multiple stimuli. Although much progress has been made, the underlying mechanisms of TRP channel activation are largely unknown. The ...

Voltage-gated ion channels and gating modifier toxins.

Voltage-gated sodium, calcium, and potassium channels generate electrical signals required for action potential generation and conduction and are the molecular targets for a broad range of potent neurotoxins. These channels are built on a common structural motif containing six transmembrane segments and a pore loop. Their pores are formed by the S5/S6 segments and the pore loop between them, an...

Chemoselective tarantula toxins report voltage activation of wild-type ion channels in live cells.

Electrically excitable cells, such as neurons, exhibit tremendous diversity in their firing patterns, a consequence of the complex collection of ion channels present in any specific cell. Although numerous methods are capable of measuring cellular electrical signals, understanding which types of ion channels give rise to these signals remains a significant challenge. Here, we describe exogenous...

Voltage-dependent open-state inactivation of cardiac sodium channels: gating current studies with Anthopleurin-A toxin

The gating charge and voltage dependence of the open state to the inactivated state (O-->I) transition was measured for the voltage-dependent mammalian cardiac Na channel. Using the site 3 toxin, Anthopleurin-A (Ap-A), which selectively modifies the O-->I transition (see Hanck, D. A., and M. F. Sheets. 1995. Journal of General Physiology. 106:601-616), we studied Na channel gating currents (Ig)...