Related papers: Ion Channels, Natural Nanovalves
Ion transport is the major determining factor of salinity tolerance in plants. A simple scheme of a plant cell with ion fluxes provides basic understanding of ion transport and the corresponding changes of ion concentrations under salinity.…
Unassisted ion transport through lipid membranes plays a crucial role in many cell functions without which life would not be possible, yet the precise mechanism behind the process remains unknown due to its molecular complexity. Here, we…
Specific molecular interactions underlie unexpected and useful phenomena in nanofluidic systems, but require descriptions that go beyond traditional macroscopic hydrodynamics. In this letter, we demonstrate how equilibrium molecular…
Here we show, combining a simulation and theoretical study, that electrostatic correlations typical of multivalent ions can reverse the selectivity of a biological nanochannel. Our results provide a physical mechanism for a new,…
Ion channels are protein structures that facilitate the selective passage of ions across the membrane cells of living organisms. They are known for their high conductance and high selectivity. The precise mechanism between these two…
In the present study, the ionic transport and selectivity of electrokinetically-driven flow of power-law fluids in a long pH-regulated rectangular nanochannel are analyzed. The electrical potential and momentum equations are numerically…
Potassium ion channels are critical components of biology. They conduct potassium ions across the cell membrane with remarkable speed and selectivity. Understanding how they do this is crucially important for applications in neuroscience,…
ClC chloride channels possess a homodimeric structure in which each monomer contains an independent chloride ion pathway. ClC channel gating is regulated by chloride ion concentration, pH, and voltage. Based on structural and physiological…
{\it De novo} protein sequencing is essential for understanding cellular processes that govern the function of living organisms and all post-translational events and other sequence modifications that occur after a protein has been…
A model of mobile, charged ion channels embedded in a biomembrane is investigated. The ion channels fluctuate between an opened and a closed state according to a simple two-state reaction scheme whereas the total number of ion channels is a…
In charged nanopores, ionic diffusion current reflects the ionic selectivity and ionic permeability of nanopores which determines the performance of osmotic energy conversion, i.e. the output power and efficiency. Here, theoretical…
Biological water is an ionic solution containing both monovalent and divalent ions. However, the effects of divalent ions on the dynamics of biological water remain largely unknown. Here, we investigate how the transport dynamics of water…
We consider a simple working hypothesis that all permeation properties of open ionic channels can be predicted by understanding electrodiffusion in fixed structures, without invoking conformation changes, or changes in chemical bonds. We…
Ion transport measurements are widely used as an indirect probe for various properties of confined electrolytes. It is generally assumed that the ion concentration in a nanoscale channel is equal to the ion concentration in the macroscopic…
The brain's remarkable and efficient information processing capability is driving research into brain-inspired (neuromorphic) computing paradigms. Artificial aqueous ion channels are emerging as an exciting platform for neuromorphic…
Ionic Coulomb blockade is one of the mesoscopic effects in ion transport revealing the quantized nature of ionic charges, which is of crucial importance to our understanding of the sub-continuum transport in nanofluidics and the mechanism…
Voltage distribution in sub-cellular micro-domains such as neuronal synapses, small protrusions or dendritic spines regulates the opening and closing of ionic channels, energy production and thus cellular homeostasis and excitability. Yet…
Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are ion channels which act as cells' safety valves, opening when the osmotic pressure becomes too high and making cells avoid damage by releasing ions. They are found on the cellular membrane of a large number…
We present an equilibrium statistical-mechanical theory of selectivity in biological ion channels. In doing so, we introduce a grand canonical ensemble for ions in a channel's selectivity filter coupled to internal and external bath…
We consider a class of systems where, due to the large mismatch of dielectric constants, the Coulomb interaction is approximately one-dimensional. Examples include ion channels in lipid membranes and water filled nanopores in silicon or…