Biophysical and molecular mechanisms of Shaker potassium channel inactivation |
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Authors: | T Hoshi W N Zagotta R W Aldrich |
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Institution: | Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, School of Medicine, CA 94305. |
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Abstract: | The potassium channels encoded by the Drosophila Shaker gene activate and inactivate rapidly when the membrane potential becomes more positive. Site-directed mutagenesis and single-channel patch-clamp recording were used to explore the molecular transitions that underlie inactivation in Shaker potassium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. A region near the amino terminus with an important role in inactivation has now been identified. The results suggest a model where this region forms a cytoplasmic domain that interacts with the open channel to cause inactivation. |
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