Book dossier

Voltage-Sensitive Ion Channels

by H. Richard Leuchtag

Voltage-sensitive ion channels are macromolecules embedded in the membranes of nerve and muscle fibers. Their mutations are involved in many diseases. Because of their switching properties and selective ion conduction, they are at an intersection of biology, chemistry and physics. This book examines critically both traditional approaches such as the gated pore model and physically oriented approaches, which help explain the stochastic nature of the ion currents that traverse them.