Structural model of the open-closed-inactivated cycle of prokaryotic voltage-gated sodium channels.

ABSTRACT: In excitable cells, the initiation of the action potential results from the opening of voltage-gated sodium channels. These channels undergo a series of conformational changes between open, closed, and inactivated states. Many models have been proposed for the structural transitions that result in these different functional states. Here, we compare the crystal structures of prokaryotic sodium channels captured in the different conformational forms and use them as the basis for examining molecular models for the activation, slow inactivation, and recovery processes. We compare structural similarities and differences in the pore domains, specifically in the transmembrane helices, the constrictions within the pore cavity, the activation gate at the cytoplasmic end of the last transmembrane he

SUBMITTER: Bagneris C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4278185 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature