title: The functional significance of multimerization in ion channels.
abstract: Recently, the allosteric behavior of ion channels has been investigated by recording the individual steps leading to the complete activation of a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel. This information, in combination with recent studies on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mutants, necessitates a modification of our current theories of the allosteric mechanisms of ion channels and gives new insights into the functional significance of multimerization in ion channels.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. mlt1@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tierney
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Stowell
mesh_terms: D000495:Allosteric Site; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic