• DOI:10.1038/35102000
Corpus ID: 4429890

Energetic optimization of ion conduction rate by the K+ selectivity filter

@article{MoraisCabral2001EnergeticOO,
  title={Energetic optimization of ion conduction rate by the K+ selectivity filter},
  author={J. H. Morais-Cabral and Y. Zhou and R. MacKinnon},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2001},
  volume={414},
  pages={37-42}
}

J. H. Morais-Cabral, Y. Zhou, R. MacKinnon

Published 2001

Chemistry, Medicine

Nature

The K+ selectivity filter catalyses the dehydration, transfer and rehydration of a K+ ion in about ten nanoseconds. This physical process is central to the production of electrical signals in biology. Here we show how nearly diffusion-limited rates are achieved, by analysing ion conduction and the corresponding crystallographic ion distribution in the selectivity filter of the KcsA K+ channel. Measurements with K+ and its slightly larger analogue, Rb+, lead us to conclude that the selectivity… CONTINUE READING

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