Ion channel pharmacology

Ion channel pharmacology under flow: automation via well-plate microfluidics.

Automated patch clamping addresses the need for high-throughput screening of chemical entities that alter ion channel function. As a result, there is considerable utility in the pharmaceutical screening arena for novel platforms that can produce relevant data both rapidly and consistently. Here we present results that were obtained with an innovative microfluidic automated patch clamp system ut...

Biophysics, pathophysiology, and pharmacology of ion channel gating pores

Voltage sensor domains (VSDs) are a feature of voltage gated ion channels (VGICs) and voltage sensitive proteins. They are composed of four transmembrane (TM) segments (S1-S4). Currents leaking through VSDs are called omega or gating pore currents. Gating pores are caused by mutations of the highly conserved positively charged amino acids in the S4 segment that disrupt interactions between the ...

CFTR Channel Pharmacology

Investigators of anion channels are frequently heard bemoaning the absence of potent, specific inhibitors of their favorite channel. The lack of such blockers has been particularly frustrating for researchers investigating the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl channel, which plays a central role in electrolyte transport across epithelial tissues (Welsh et al., 2001)....

Ion channel activity drives ion channel expression.

GABA(A) receptor channel pharmacology.

GABA(A) receptor channels are ubiquitous in the mammalian central nervous system mediating fast inhibitory neurotransmission by becoming permeant to chloride ions in response to GABA. The emphasis of this review is on the rich chemical diversity of ligands that influence GABA(A) receptor function. Such diversity provides many avenues for the design and development of new chemical entities actin...