title: Agonist-activated ion channels.
abstract: This paper looks at ion channels as an example of the pharmacologist's stock in trade, the action of an agonist on a receptor to produce a response. Looked at in this way, ion channels have been helpful because they are still the only system which is simple enough for quantitative investigation of transduction mechanisms. A short history is given of attempts to elucidate what happens between the time when agonist first binds, and the time when the channel opens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. d.colquhoun@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colquhoun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000819:agonists* / Q000266:history / Q000502:physiology; D008024:Ligands
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D008024:Ligands