Excitation of neurons depends on the selected influx of certain ions, namely sodium, calcium and potassium through specific channels. Obviously, these channels were crucial for the evolution of nervous systems in animals. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 26, 2012
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Alzheimer's disease is triggered by the inappropriate processing of amyloid precursor protein to generate excess amounts of short peptide fragments called A-beta. For many years, the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 24, 2011
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The Aurora A kinase may contribute to polycystic kidney disease (PKD) by inactivating a key calcium channel in kidney cells, according to a study in the June 13 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 13, 2011
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Spider venom toxins are useful tools for exploring how ion channels operate in the body. These channels control the flow of ions across cell membranes, and are key components in a wide variety of biological processes and ...
Biochemistry
Mar 9, 2011
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Neurotoxins from cone snails and spiders help neurobiologists Sebastian Auer, Annika S. Stürzebecher and Dr. Ines Ibañez-Tallon of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, to investigate ...
Biochemistry
Feb 10, 2010
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Tsuruta et al. find that a lipid kinase directs a voltage-gated calcium channel's degradation to save neurons from a lethal dose of overexcitement. The study appears in the October 19, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 19, 2009
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As part of the intricate ballet of synaptic transmission from one neuron to the next, tiny vesicles - bubbles containing the chemical neurotransmitters that make information exchange possible -- travel to the tip of neurons ...
Biotechnology
Sep 3, 2009
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Calcium is not just required for strong bones - it is an essential requirement for muscle and nerve cells to work normally. Latest research from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS, Bangalore), now shows that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2015
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Assemblies of proteins, known as protein complexes, have important functions in cells; protein complexes embedded in the cell membrane, for example, are responsible for the exchange with the extracellular environment. But ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 16, 2014
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Pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial node control heart rate, but what controls the ticking of these pacemaker cells? New research by Angelo Torrente and his colleagues of the M.E. Mangoni group's, reveals, for the first time, ...
Biochemistry
Mar 9, 2011
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