Structure
They generally are composed of several subunits arranged in such a way that there is a central pore through which ions can travel down their electrochemical gradients. The channels tend to be ion-specific, although similarly sized and charged ions may sometimes travel through them.
Examples include:
- the sodium and potassium voltage-gated channels of nerve and muscle.
- the voltage-gated calcium channels that play a role in neurotransmitter release in pre-synaptic nerve endings.
Read more about this topic: Voltage-gated Ion Channel
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Time is with materials filled;
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Are the blocks with which we build.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)
“The philosopher believes that the value of his philosophy lies in its totality, in its structure: posterity discovers it in the stones with which he built and with which other structures are subsequently built that are frequently better—and so, in the fact that that structure can be demolished and yet still possess value as material.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“A special feature of the structure of our book is the monstrous but perfectly organic part that eavesdropping plays in it.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)