The difficulty in characterizing ion conduction through membrane channels at the level of individual permeation events has made it challenging to elucidate the mechanistic principles underpinning this fundamental physiological process. Using long, all-atom simulations enabled by special-purpose hardware, we studied K(+) permeation across the KV1.2/2.1 voltage-gated potassium channel. At experim...

Azobenzene photoswitches confer light sensitivity onto retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in blind mice, making these compounds promising candidates as vision-restoring drugs in humans with degenerative blindness. Remarkably, photosensitization manifests only in animals with photoreceptor degeneration and is absent from those with intact rods and cones. Here we show that P2X receptors mediate the en...

In the current review we will summarise data from the recent literature describing molecular and functional properties of TRPM4. Together with TRPM5, these channels are up till now the only molecular candidates for a class of non-selective, Ca(2+)-impermeable cation channels which are activated by elevated Ca2+ levels in the cytosol. Apart from intracellular Ca2+, TRPM4 activation is also depen...

A general cellular response following depletion of intracellular calcium stores involves activation of store-operated channels (SOCs). While Orai1 forms the native Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channel in mast and T cells, the molecular architecture of less Ca(2+) selective SOCs is insufficiently defined. Here we present evidence that diminished Ca(2+) selectivity and robust Cs(+) perm...

Preformulation studies on transdermal dosage forms involve liberal use of animal skin for assessing the permeation characteristics of drugs, influence of permeation enhancers, optimizing the formulation variables etc. The restricted availability of animal skin due to concerns regarding prevention of cruelty to animals has generated considerable interest in developing polymeric films for use as ...

Preformulation studies on transdermal dosage forms involve liberal use of animal skin for assessing the permeation characteristics of drugs, influence of permeation enhancers, optimizing the formulation variables etc. The restricted availability of animal skin due to concerns regarding prevention of cruelty to animals has generated considerable interest in developing polymeric films for use as ...

We report on the development of a continuous flow process for the palladium catalysed methoxycarbonylation of aryl, heteroaromatic and vinyl iodides and an aryl bromide using a Teflon AF-2400 based Tube-in-Tube reactor to mediate the selective permeation of carbon monoxide into solution at elevated pressures. The low volume of pressurised gas within the reactor (5.6 mL) offers the potential for...

Enhancing the fluxes in gas separation membranes is required for utilizing the membranes on a mass scale for CO2 capture. Membrane thinning is one of the most promising approaches to achieve high fluxes. In addition, sophisticated molecular transport across membranes can boost gas separation performance. In this review, we attempt to summarize the current state of CO2 separation membranes, espe...

Voltage-dependent movement of a sodium channel S4 segment was examined by cysteine scanning mutagenesis and testing accessibility of the residues to hydrophilic cysteine-modifying reagents. These experiments indicate that 2 charged S4 residues move completely from an internally accessible to an externally accessible location in response to depolarization by passage through a short "channel" in ...

Lipopoiysaccharides were isolated from dried cells of Shigella boydii, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa species by extraction with hot, aqueous phenol. The antigens obtained were degraded with acetic acid to give 0—specific polysaccharides which were purified by permeation chromatography on the Sephadex G-50 column. The isolated polysaccharides were proved to be complex hexosaminogly...