title: Description of interacting channel gating using a stochastic Markovian model.
abstract: Single-channel recordings from membrane patches frequently exhibit multiple conductance levels. In some preparations, the steady-state probabilities of observing these levels do not follow a binomial distribution. This behavior has been reported in sodium channels, potassium channels, acetylcholine receptor channels and gap junction channels. A non-binomial distribution suggests interaction of the channels or the presence of channels or the presence of channels with different open probabilities. However, the current trace sometimes exhibits single transitions spanning several levels. Since the probability of simultaneous transitions of independent channels is infinitesimally small, such observations strongly suggest a cooperative gating behavior. We present a Markov model to describe the cooperative gating of channels using only the all-points current amplitude histograms for the probability of observing the various conductance levels. We investigate the steady-state (or equilibrium) properties of a system of N channels and provide a scheme to express all the probabilities in terms of just two parameters. The main feature of our model is that lateral interaction of channels gives rise to cooperative gating. Another useful feature is the introduction of the language of graph theory which can potentially provide a different avenue to study ion channel kinetics. We write down explicit expressions for systems of two, three and four channels and provide a procedure to describe the system of N channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Manivannan
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Mathias
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gudowska-Nowak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008390:Markov Chains; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic