Chloride channel function: partial charges and dipolar rods.
The regulated flow of ions across biological membranes is a process fundamental to all living organisms. The crystal structures of representative chloride channels recently published in Nature, together with the previously determined structures of a potassium channel, provide a solid basis for understanding the chemical principles that govern selective ion flow.
Mancia
Filippo
F
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Shapiro
Lawrence
L
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017136:Ion Transport / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000737:chemistry
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018118:Chloride Channels; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins