Effect of dielectric interface on charge aggregation in the voltage-gated K(+) ion channel.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is experimental evidence of many cases of stable macromolecular conformations with charged amino-acids facing lipid, an arrangement thought to be energetically unfavourable.

Methods and objectives

Employing classical electrostatics, we show that, this is not necessarily the case and studied the physical basis of the specific role of proximity of charges to the dielectric interface between two different environments. We illustrate how self and induced energies due to the dielectric medium polarization, on either side of the interface, contribute differentially to the stability of a pair of charges and hence the mutual conformation of the S3b-S4 α-helix pair of the voltage-gated K(+) channel.

Results and conclusion

We show that (1) a pair of opposite ch

SUBMITTER: Adhya L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4367034 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature