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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins. Hundreds of different types of ion channel have been identified in the membranes of all biological cells. They are reliable and invaluable tools for ...

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 ...

Similar to passengers on an urban transit system, every protein made in the cell has a specific destination and function. Channels in cell membranes help direct these proteins to their appropriate ...