Ion channels provide the basis for the regulation of excitability in the central nervous system and in other excitable tissues such as skeletal and heart muscle. Consequently, mutations in ion channel encoding genes are found in a variety of inherited diseases associated with hyper- or hypoexcitability of the affected tissue, the so-called 'channelopathies.' An increasing number of epileptic sy...

Two new studies show that the Drosophila transient receptor potential (TRP) family member NOMPC forms both a mechanically gated ion channel and a fine filament that, by tethering the protein to microtubules, might act as a gating spring.

Glioblastoma is the most common primary brain tumor with the most dismal prognosis. It is characterized by extensive invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. Median survival is only 15 months due to this behavior, rendering focal surgical resection ineffective and adequate radiotherapy impossible. At this moment, several ion channels have been implicated in glioblastoma proliferation, migration, ...

Mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels are to date the best characterized biological force-sensing systems. They present the best example of coupling protein conformations to the mechanics of the surrounding cell membrane. Studies of MS channels conducted over the last 28 years have from their serendipitous discovery and confusion about their artifactual nature to their molecular identification and...

Recent studies using mutagenesis to alter ion channel function have shown that the selectivity filter in many ion channels is formed by pore loops, relatively short polypep-tide segments that extend into an aqueous pore from one side of the membrane. Why do ion channels use pore loops to form their selective ion-binding sites? The purpose of this perspective is to address this question in the c...

Since the first recordings of single potassium channel activities in the plasma membrane of guard cells more than 25 years ago, patch-clamp studies discovered a variety of ion channels in all cell types and plant species under inspection. Their properties differed in a cell type- and cell membrane-dependent manner. Guard cells, for which the existence of plant potassium channels was initially d...

Action potentials are mediated by transient changes in ion conductance across the cell surface membrane. These changes in conductance are primarily mediated by ion channels. Ion channels are membrane-embedded proteins that selectively pass specific ions upon opening. Some ion channels are constitutively open; however, most channels open following stimulation, such as through voltage changes, in...

differentiated newt cells, but not in their mammalian counterparts. There has been some progress along these lines but not at the level of pinpointing the genetic differences. It is important to remember that there are examples, such as the axolotl lens, where a particular tissue does not regenerate even though the animal is capable of regenerating other structures. Such a context may be more f...

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...

Rapid communication between cells is dependent on electrical signals produced by the passage of charged ions through specialised proteins embedded in cell membranes. These ion channels have been essential to the health and survival of organisms since life began. One might therefore expect that diseases of ion channels or channelopathies would not be compatible with life. The past decade has sho...