Physics of Selective Conduction and Point Mutation in Biological Ion Channels

Ionic Coulomb Blockade and Resonant Conduction in Biological Ion Channels

The conduction and selectivity of calcium/sodium ion channels are described in terms of ionic Coulomb blockade, a phenomenon based on charge discreteness and an electrostatic model of an ion channel. This novel approach provides a unified explanation of numerous observed and modelled conductance and selectivity phenomena, including the anomalous mole fraction effect and discrete conduction band...

Multi-ion versus single-ion conduction mechanisms can yield current rectification in biological ion channels.

There is clear evidence that the net magnitude of negative charge at the intracellular end of inwardly rectifying potassium channels helps to generate an asymmetry in the magnitude of the current that will pass in each direction. However, a complete understanding of the physical mechanism that links these charges to current rectification has yet to be obtained. Using Brownian dynamics, we compa...

Physics of ion channels.

We review the basic physics involved in transport of ions across membrane channels in cells. Electrochemical forces that control the diffusion of ions are discussed both from microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. A case is made for use of Brownian dynamics as the minimal phenomenological model that provides a bridge between experiments and more fundamental theoretical approaches. Applicatio...

Ion conduction and selectivity in K(+) channels.

Potassium (K(+)) channels are tetrameric membrane-spanning proteins that provide a selective pore for the conductance of K(+) across the cell membranes. These channels are most remarkable in their ability to discriminate K(+) from Na(+) by more than a thousandfold and conduct at a throughput rate near diffusion limit. The recent progress in the structural characterization of K(+) channel provid...

Ion Conduction and Selectivity in K+ Channels