(Phys.org)—One of the mysteries in biology is how cells can selectively diffuse potassium across a membrane. Biological systems rely on a delicate balance between these potassium and sodium ion concentrations in the surrounding ...
New research shows that a burst of evolutionary innovation in the genes responsible for electrical communication among nerve cells in our brains occurred over 600 million years ago in a common ancestor of humans and the sea ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 16, 2015
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1399
Inspired by nature, an international research team has created synthetic pores that mimic the activity of cellular ion channels, which play a vital role in human health by severely restricting the types of materials allowed ...
Nanomaterials
Jul 17, 2012
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0
An animal's brain consists of two different types of cell: neurons, which process and transmit information, and glial cells, which support the neurons in a variety of ways. In 1871, the French anatomist Louis-Antoine Ranvier ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jun 8, 2023
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594
Potassium (K+) channels are small, highly specialized conduits within every living cell that are responsible for the extremely selective and rapid transport of K+ ions across cell membranes. Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 12, 2022
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63
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that arises from abnormal electrical activity in the brain leading to seizures. These seizure events can have a variety of causes, including genetic variants in a family of proteins that ...
Biochemistry
Aug 18, 2022
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110
Intrigued by the properties of ion channel proteins commonly observed in cells, Tokyo Tech researchers have developed the first synthetic mechanosensitive potassium channel using a newly developed aromatic fluorinated amphiphilic ...
Biochemistry
Jul 15, 2022
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20
Monash University researchers have developed a faster, more efficient nanodevice to filter proton and alkaline metal ions which will help design next-generation membranes for clean energy technology, conversion and storage.
Nanomaterials
Apr 8, 2022
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37
Scientists have found a missing 'key' that unlocks critical channels responsible for potassium ions to flow across cell membranes in a process that is essential for life. The discovery overcomes a major barrier to the development ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 26, 2022
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93
Ion channels in the nervous system are among the most important targets for insecticides. Understanding the structure of the channels is key for the identification of novel species-specific binding sites of agrochemicals. ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 14, 2021
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187
