title: A model for enhanced and selective transport through biological membranes with alternating pores.
abstract: We investigate the outflux of ions through the channels in a cell membrane. The channels undergo an open/close cycle according to a periodic schedule. Our study is based both on theoretical considerations relying on homogenization theory, and on Monte Carlo numerical simulations. We examine the onset of a limiting boundary behavior characterized by a constant ratio between the outflux and the local density, in the large volume limit. The focus here is on the issue of selectivity, that is on the different behavior of the ion currents through the channel in the cases of the selected and non-selected species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: daniele.andreucci@sbai.uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andreucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: dario.bellaveglia@sbai.uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bellaveglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: emilio.cirillo@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Emilio Nicola Maria
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Cirillo
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels
keywords: Alternating pores; Fokker–Planck equation; Homogenization; Ionic currents; Monte Carlo method; Random walk