Tiny pores at a cell's entryway act as miniature bouncers, letting in some electrically charged atoms—ions—but blocking others. Operating as exquisitely sensitive filters, these "ion channels" play a critical role in ...
Nanophysics
Dec 8, 2017
1
32
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers today published a 3-D atomic structure of the ion channel found in mammals that is implicated in a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disease in humans. The work marks the first ...
Biochemistry
Oct 13, 2017
0
109
About two years ago, scientists from the University of Würzburg discovered that a certain class of receptors is capable of perceiving mechanical stimuli. Now they have begun to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind the ...
Biochemistry
Aug 22, 2017
0
2
Ion channels in the membrane vesicles that mediate intracellular protein transport play a crucial role in cell physiology. A method developed by an Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich team now allows them to be ...
Biochemistry
Jul 21, 2017
0
2
New research results from Aarhus University and New York University show how active transport of potassium can be achieved by a membrane protein complex that has roots in both ion pump and ion channel super-families. The ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 22, 2017
0
6
A new study has modeled a crucial first step in the self-assembly of cellular structures such as drug receptors and other protein complexes, and found that the flexibility of the structures has a dramatic impact on how fast ...
Materials Science
Mar 17, 2017
0
319
Shuhei Furukawa from Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) and colleagues in Japan synthesised polyhedral-shaped porous molecules that rotate in a double layer of lipids, exposing different-shaped ...
Materials Science
Mar 13, 2017
0
5
On the surfaces of our trillions of cells is a complex crowd of molecules moving around, talking to each other, occasionally segregating themselves, and triggering basic functions ranging from pain sensation to insulin release.
General Physics
Feb 27, 2017
0
14
Ion channels are proteins that form pores in cellular membranes, which can be opened and shut like lock gates to allow the passage of electrically charged atoms (ions). Members of this class of proteins are crucial components ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 10, 2017
0
5
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have taken an important step on the road to understanding the underlying mechanism of how and why animals can feel pain in connection with cold or heat. However, according to the study, ...
Biochemistry
Feb 9, 2017
0
9
