Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
J R Soc Interface. 2010 Jun 6;7 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):S307-20. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0095.focus. Epub 2010 Mar 31.
Ion channels form a group of membrane proteins that pass ions through a pore beyond the energy barrier of the lipid bilayer. The structure of the transmembrane segment of membrane proteins is influenced by the charges and the hydrophobicity of the surrounding lipids and the pressure on its surface. A mechanosensitive channel is specifically designed to change its conformation in response to changes in the membrane pressure (tension). However, mechanosensitive channels are not the only group that is sensitive to the physical environment of the membrane: voltage-gated channels are also amenable to the lipid environment. In this article, we review the structure and gating mechanisms of the mechanosensitive channels and voltage-gated channels and discuss how their functions are affected by the physical properties of the lipid bilayer.
离子通道是一组膜蛋白，它们通过脂质双层的能量屏障以外的孔道传递离子。膜蛋白跨膜片段的结构受周围脂质的电荷和疏水性以及其表面压力的影响。机械敏感通道专门设计用于响应膜压力（张力）的变化而改变其构象。然而，机械敏感通道并不是唯一对膜物理环境敏感的通道：电压门控通道也能适应脂质环境。在本文中，我们回顾了机械敏感通道和电压门控通道的结构和门控机制，并讨论了它们的功能如何受脂质双层物理性质的影响。
