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Lecture

Ligand-gated Ion Channels

In course

CH-411: Cellular signalling

Presentation of selected signalling pathways with emphasis on both the mechanism of action of the molecules involved, molecular interactions and the role of their spatio-temporal organization within the cell, considering cellular dimensions and conditions. ...

Description

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of ligand-gated ion channels, including the structure and function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It discusses the ligand-binding sites, ion selectivities, and the allosteric gating mechanism of these channels. The lecture also explores the importance of studying ion channels in biology, biophysics, medicine, and drug development, highlighting their role in diseases and drug targeting. Additionally, it delves into the composition, location, and disorders related to neuronal and muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, as well as the structure and homologous proteins of Cys-loop receptors.

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Instructor

Rudolf Hovius

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Receptors

Related concepts (32)

Ligand-gated ion channel

Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, and/or Cl− to pass through the membrane in response to the binding of a chemical messenger (i.e. a ligand), such as a neurotransmitter. When a presynaptic neuron is excited, it releases a neurotransmitter from vesicles into the synaptic cleft. The neurotransmitter then binds to receptors located on the postsynaptic neuron.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral nervous system, muscle, and many other tissues of many organisms. At the neuromuscular junction they are the primary receptor in muscle for motor nerve-muscle communication that controls muscle contraction.

Acetylcholine receptor

An acetylcholine receptor (abbreviated AChR) is an integral membrane protein that responds to the binding of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Like other transmembrane receptors, acetylcholine receptors are classified according to their "pharmacology," or according to their relative affinities and sensitivities to different molecules. Although all acetylcholine receptors, by definition, respond to acetylcholine, they respond to other molecules as well.

Ion channel

Ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins that allow ions to pass through the channel pore. Their functions include establishing a resting membrane potential, shaping action potentials and other electrical signals by gating the flow of ions across the cell membrane, controlling the flow of ions across secretory and epithelial cells, and regulating cell volume. Ion channels are present in the membranes of all cells. Ion channels are one of the two classes of ionophoric proteins, the other being ion transporters.

Sodium channel

Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through a cell's membrane. They belong to the superfamily of cation channels. They are classified into 2 types: In excitable cells such as neurons, myocytes, and certain types of glia, sodium channels are responsible for the rising phase of action potentials. These channels go through three different states called resting, active and inactive states.

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