Ion Channels

Ion channels are membrane proteins that act as gated pathways for the movement of ions across cell membranes. They play essential roles in the physiology of all cells. In recent years, an ever-increasing number of human and animal diseases have been found to result from defects in ion channel function. Most of these diseases arise from mutations in the genes encoding ion channel proteins, and they are now referred to as the channelopathies. Ion Channels and Disease provides an informative and up-to-date account of our present understanding of ion channels and the molecular basis of ion channel diseases. It includes a basic introduction to the relevant aspects of molecular biology and biophysics and a brief description of the principal methods used to study channelopathies. For each channel, the relationship between its molecular structure and its functional properties is discussed and ways in which genetic mutations produce the disease phenotype are considered. This book is intended for research workers and clinicians, as well as graduates and advanced undergraduates. The text is clear and lively and assumes little knowledge, yet it takes the reader to frontiers of what is currently known about this most exciting and medically important area of physiology. Introduces the relevant aspects of molecular biology and biophysics Describes the principal methods used to study channelopathies Considers single classes of ion channels with summaries of the physiological role, subunit composition, molecular structure and chromosomal location, plus the relationship between channel structure and function Looks at those diseases associated with defective channel structures and regulation, including mutations affecting channel function and to what extent this change in channel function can account for the clinical phenotype

The New Benchmark for Understanding the Latest Developments of Ion ChannelsIon channels control the electrical properties of neurons and cardiac cells, mediate the detection and response to sensory stimuli, and regulate the response to physical stimuli. They can often interact with the cellular environment due to their location at the surface of ce

Ion Channels in Health and Disease provides key insight to allow researchers to generate discoveries across disease states. A single resource that integrates disparate areas of biology and disease ion channel biology, this publication includes cross-referencing for disease, channels, and tissues. Offers a broad view of research of interest to early and experienced researchers across biological and biomedical research. Provides an overview of fundamental concepts in ion channels research to link defects in human disease Written in an accessible manner, without jargon Provides a helpful, easy cross-reference for diseases, channels, and tissues

This Methods in Molecular Biology book offers strategies and protocols for studying a large group of proteins that form ionic channels in the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes of cells. Includes step-by-step protocols, materials lists, tips and more."

How do you keep track of basic information on the proteins you work with? Where do you find details of their physicochemical properties, sequence information, gene organization? Are you tired of scanning review articles, primary papers and databases to locate that elusive fact? The Academic Press FactsBook series will satisfy scientists and clinical researchers suffering from information overload. Each volume provides a catalogue of the essential properties of families of molecules. Gene organization, sequence information, physicochemical properties, and biological activity are presented using a common, easy to follow format. Taken together they compile everything you wanted to know about proteins but were too busy to look for. In a set of four inter-related volumes, The Ion Channel FactsBook provides a comprehensive framework of facts about channel molecules central to electrical signalling phenomena in living cells. The first volume is devoted to Extracellular Ligand-Gated Integral Receptor-Channel Families including those molecular complexes activated by: 5-Hydroxytryptamine, ATP, Glutamate, Acetylcholine, GABA, Glycine. Nomenclature Expression Sequence analyses Structure and function Electrophysiology Pharmacology Information retrieval

This book deals with recent breakthroughs in ion-channel research that have been brought about by the combined effort of experimental biophysicists and computational physicists, who together are beginning to unravel the story of these exquisitely designed biomolecules. With chapters by leading experts, the book is aimed at researchers in nanodevices and biosensors, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate students in biology and the physical sciences.

Since the first TRP ion channel was discovered in Drosophila melanogaster in 1989, the progress made in this area of signaling research has yielded findings that offer the potential to dramatically impact human health and wellness. Involved in gateway activity for all five of our senses, TRP channels have been shown to respond to a wide range of stimuli from both within and outside the cell body. How we sense heat and cold, how we taste food, how eggs are fertilized, how the heart expands and contracts is each dependent on the function of these channels. While no single book could possibly cover all the research being undertaken, TRP Ion Channel Function in Sensory Transduction and Cellular Signaling Cascades presents the most advanced compilation of work in this area to date. All 31 chapters are written by international pioneers working at the vanguard of TRP ion channel research. They explain much about the pivotal function and behavior of these channels, which are most exquisitely tuned to their specific tasks, and delve into how researchers are putting this knowledge to use in the development of novel pharmaceuticals, which may well prove effective in ameliorating treatment-resistant conditions including cancer, heart disease, inflammation, and immune system dysfunctions. Individual chapters shed light on selected topics of interest in the TRP arena, such as signal transduction in axonal path-finding, and in vascular, renal, and auditory functions, as well as pain. The text also covers subjects as diverse as mating and fertilization, inflammatory pain, and mechanisms of pheromone detection in mammals. While the book presents much new insight and explores findings that will be of interest to those involved with advanced research, it also includes significant background material for those looking to familiarize themselves with this exceptionally promising path of inquiry.