Although magnesium is the dominant divalent intracellular cation and is required for the function of diverse types of enzymes that participate in virtually every cellular process, the molecular ...

There are five main classes of chloride channels: cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), calcium-activated, voltage-dependent, ligand-gated and volume-sensitive. Chloride channels ...

Mutated variants of a particular ion channel cause difficult-to-treat epilepsy. A study published in the journal Nature now shows that a commonly used anesthetic drug, propofol, can restore the ...

A new study uncovers critical aspects of calcium channel function. Scientists have identified certain proteins and sequences that they believed were responsible for direct interaction with the alpha ...

Two mutations identified in individuals with developmental and epileptic brain disease can be traced back to the same ion channel. Researchers have now elucidated how both independent mutations affect ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Biological brains compute using ions, not electrons. Every signal between neurons depends on charged atoms passing through protein channels embedded in cell membranes, a system ...

A study conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience uncovers critical aspects of calcium channel function, overturning prevailing theories that explain variability in ...

Chemists at the California Institute of Technology have managed, for the first time, to simulate the biological function of a channel called the Sec translocon, which allows specific proteins to pass ...

Neurotransmitters are the chemicals which allow the transmission of signals from one neuron to the next across synapses. They are also found at the axon endings of motor neurons, where they stimulate ...