This introductory minireview points out the importance of ion channels for cell communication. The basic concepts on the structure and function of ion channels triggered by membrane voltage changes, the so-called voltage-gated ...

Na+ permeation through normal and batrachotoxin (BTX)-modified squid axon Na+ channels was characterized. Unmodified and toxin-modified Na+ channels were studied simultaneously in outside-out membrane patches using the ...

Ion channels have recently been recognized as novel therapeutic targets in cancer research since they are overexpressed in different histological tissues, and their activity is linked to proliferation, tumor progression, ...

Mutations in the human skeletal muscle Na+ channel underlie the autosomal dominant disease hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). Muscle fibers from affected individuals exhibit sustained Na+ currents thought to depolarize ...

The mechanism by which the cytoskeletal protein actin affects the conductance of amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) was studied in planar lipid bilayers. In the presence of monomeric actin, we found a ...

The materno-fetal transfer of metabolites and nutrients requires the operation of specific transport mechanisms through syncytiotrophoblast membranes. Electrophysiological studies on these cells are scarce and, because of ...

It has previously been proposed that a Ca2+-dependent K + conductance is implicated in the inhibitory odourant response in rat and toad olfactory receptor neurons. Previous whole-cell and single-channel measurements on ...

Objective: When working with the social and historic context of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people, it is possible to see the existence of several dimensions of visibility in physical and virtual ...