title: Ion selectivity and gating mechanisms of FNT channels.
abstract: The phospholipid bilayer has evolved to be a protective and selective barrier by which the cell maintains high concentrations of life sustaining organic and inorganic material. As gatekeepers responsible for an immense amount of bidirectional chemical traffic between the cytoplasm and extracellular milieu, ion channels have been studied in detail since their postulated existence nearly three-quarters of a century ago. Over the past fifteen years, we have begun to understand how selective permeability can be achieved for both cationic and anionic ions. Our mechanistic knowledge has expanded recently with studies of a large family of anion channels, the Formate Nitrite Transport (FNT) family. This family has proven amenable to structural studies at a resolution high enough to reveal intimate details of ion selectivity and gating. With five representative members having yielded a total of 15 crystal structures, this family represents one of the richest sources of structural information for anion channels.
authors.affiliation: The Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA. waight@msg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Waight
authors.forename: Bryan K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Czyzewski
authors.forename: Da-Neng
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D027321:Anion Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D016623:Ion Pumps / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D050994:Voltage-Dependent Anion Channels / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D027321:Anion Transport Proteins; D005561:Formates; D016623:Ion Pumps; D010743:Phospholipids; D050994:Voltage-Dependent Anion Channels; C030544:formic acid