Cryo-EM Captures the Dynamics of Ion Channel Opening John L. Rubinstein Cell Volume 168, Issue 3, Pages 341-343 (January 2017) DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.011 Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions
Figure 1 The Opening of Slo2.2, a Neuronal Na+-Activated K+ Channel (A) Slo2.2 channels exist in an open state that allows K+ movement across the membrane or a closed state that does not. As the concentration of Na+ increases, the probability of an individual channel opening increases and the total K+ permeability of the membrane increases. (B) The open and closed states correspond to different conformations of the protein. Hite and MacKinnon have determined the structures of these conformations. They also show that the populations of 3D classes of cryo-EM images corresponding to each structure behave similarly to the open probability of the channel as the Na+ concentration is varied. Cell 2017 168, 341-343DOI: (10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.011) Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions