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

This book gathers relatively recent and significant topics in the field of ion channel research. Ion channels form the molecular basis for membrane excitability in cells present in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. In many non-excitable cells, ion channels contribute to diverse physiological functions, including the secretion of signaling compounds like hormones and insulin, cell volume regulation, intracellular signaling, especially Ca2+ signaling, etc. Many human diseases have been attributed to abnormal channel functions and defective membrane expression of channel proteins. On the other hand, ion channels are excellent models for studying protein biophysics, especially the allosteric regulation of protein function by miscellaneous stimuli. Therefore, research on ion channels carries significant meaning for the understanding of basic protein biophysics and diverse physiological functions. Such vital information also assists in developing novel and effective treatments for related human diseases. This book provides graduates and scientists in both basic and clinical levels a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge advances and a useful and stimulating platform for tackling their own questions about ion channels.

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.

Knowledge of cardiac ion channels and transporters has advanced remarkably in the last two decades with the development of patch-clamp and molecular biological techniques. This textbook offers a comprehensive overview of structures and functions of ion channels and transporters in the heart. Readers are first introduced to the molecular biology and electrophysiology of all the important ion channels. After discussing their developmental changes, the pharmacology and pathophysiology of clinically-relevant ion channels are reviewed. Molecular aspects of the cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and intracellular Ca2+ regulation by ion transporters are also described. The book will be useful to electrophysiologists, cardiac physiologists and pharmacologists, and molecular biologists interested in ion channels at all levels. For research specialists, the book will provide a perspective of the field. The book can be used as a reference source for working scientists in the fields of ion channels, biophysics, cardiac electrophysiology, and pharmacology. It is aimed at graduate and medical students, designed for use as a textbook for graduate and medical courses.

This authoritative book gathers together a broad range of ideas and topics that define the field. It provides clear, concise, and comprehensive coverage of all aspects of cellular physiology from fundamental concepts to more advanced topics. The Third Edition contains substantial new material. Most chapters have been thoroughly reworked. The book includes chapters on important topics such as sensory transduction, the physiology of protozoa and bacteria, the regulation of cell division, and programmed cell death. - Completely revised and updated - includes 8 new chapters on such topics as membrane structure, intracellular chloride regulation, transport, sensory receptors, pressure, and olfactory/taste receptors - Includes broad coverage of both animal and plant cells - Appendixes review basics of the propagation of action potentials, electricity, and cable properties - Authored by leading experts in the field - Clear, concise, comprehensive coverage of all aspects of cellular physiology from fundamental concepts to more advanced topics

Ion channels are crucial components of living cells. Situated in the cell's membranes. they allow particular ions to pass from one side of the membrane to the other. In recent years the patch clamp technique has allowed the activity of individual channels to be measured, and recombinant DNA technology has led to fascinating detail on their structure. Together, these technical advances have produced a great flowering of knowledge and understanding about the subject, itself leading to further breakthroughs in science and medicine. Ion Channels provides an introduction to this scientific endeavour. It emphasises the molecular structure of channels as determined by gene cloning technology. This knowledge illuminates discussions of the permeability and selectivity of channels, their gating and modulation, their responses to drugs and toxins and the human diseases caused when they do not function properly.

This new, fully revised and expanded edition of Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes includes new chapters on fast chemical synapses, modulation through G protein coupled receptors and second messenger systems, molecules cloning, site directed mutagenesis, and cell biology. It begins with the classical biophysical work of Hodgkin and Huxley and then weaves a description of the known ionic channels together with their biological functions. The book continues by developing the physical and molecular principles needed for explaining permeation, gating, pharmacological modification, and molecular diversity, and ends with a discussion of channel evolution. Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes is written to be accessible and interesting to biological and physical scientists of all kinds.