KirBac channels are prokaryotic homologs of mammalian inwardly rectifying (Kir) potassium channels, and recent crystal structures of both Kir and KirBac channels have provided major insight into their ...

Voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kv) are homotetramers composed of four voltage sensors and one pore domain. Because of high-level structural flexibility, the first mammalian Kv structure, Kv1.2 ...

Researchers have established the structure of a crucial enzyme -- the so-called sodium-potassium pump -- which forms part of every cell in the human body. The result may pave the way for a better ...

Potassium channels are critical structures in biology; they selectively allow potassium ions to pass through the membrane surrounding cells. The precise gating of that channel is essential to its ...

It's not visible to the naked eye and you can't feel it, but up to 40 per cent of your body's energy goes into supplying the microscopic sodium-potassium pump with the energy it needs. The pump is ...