The molecular mechanism of ion-dependent gating in secondary transporters.

ABSTRACT: LeuT-like fold Na-dependent secondary active transporters form a large family of integral membrane proteins that transport various substrates against their concentration gradient across lipid membranes, using the free energy stored in the downhill concentration gradient of sodium ions. These transporters play an active role in synaptic transmission, the delivery of key nutrients, and the maintenance of osmotic pressure inside the cell. It is generally believed that binding of an ion and/or a substrate drives the conformational dynamics of the transporter. However, the exact mechanism for converting ion binding into useful work has yet to be established. Using a multi-dimensional path sampling (string-method) followed by all-atom free energy simulations, we established the principal thermod

SUBMITTER: Zhao C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3812048 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature