DIVERSITY OF ION

CHANNAL
PREPARED BY
MARYAM KHATTAK
ROLL NO 14
2ND SEMSTER

SUBMITTED TO
DR. AYESHA SIDDIQUA

GOMAL CENTRE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND

BIOCHEMISTRY
GOMAL UNIVERSITY D.I. KHAN

Ion channel
Ion channel protein expressed by virtually all living cells that creates a pathway for
charged ions from dissolved salts, including sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride ions, to
pass through the otherwise impermeant lipid cell membrane. Operation of cells in the nervous
system, contraction of the heart and of skeletal muscle, and secretion in the pancreas are
examples of physiological processes that require ion channels. In addition, ion channels in the
membranes of intracellular organelles are important for regulating cytoplasmic calcium
concentration and acidification of specific subcellular compartments (e.g., lysosomes).
Function and structure
The flow of charged ions through open channels represents an electrical current that changes the
voltage across the membrane by altering the distribution of charge. In excitable cells, voltagegated channels that allow transient influx of positive ions (e.g., sodium and calcium ions)
underlie brief depolarizations of the membrane known as action potentials. Action potentials can
be transmitted rapidly over long distances, allowing for coordination and precise timing of
physiological outputs. In nearly all cases, action potentials trigger downstream physiological
effects, such as secretion or muscle contraction, by opening voltage-gated calcium-selective ion
channels and elevating intracellular calcium concentration.
The amino acid sequences of many different ion channel proteins have been determined, and in a
few cases the X-ray crystal structure of the channel is known as well. Based on their structure,
the majority of ion channels can be classified into six or seven superfamilies. For potassiumselective channels, which are among the best-characterized ion channels, four homologous
transmembrane subunits come together to create a tunnel, known as the conducting pore, that
provides a polar pathway through the nonpolar lipid membrane. Other channel types require
either three or five homologous subunits to generate the central conducting pore. In solution, ions
are stabilized by polarized water molecules in the surrounding environment. Narrow, highly
selective ion channels mimic the water environment by lining the conducting pore with polarized
carbonyl oxygen atoms. Less-selective channels form pores with a diameter large enough that
ions and water molecules may pass through together.

Diversity
There are over 300 types of ion channels in a living cell. Ion channels may be classified by the
nature of their gating, the species of ions passing through those gates, the number of gates
(pores) and localization of proteins.
Further heterogeneity of ion channels arises when channels with different constitutive subunits
give rise to a specific kind of current. Absence or mutation of one or more of the contributing
types of channel subunits can result in loss of function and, potentially, underlie neurologic
diseases.
Classification by gating
Ion channels may be classified by gating, i.e. what opens and closes the channels. Voltage-gated
ion channels open or close depending on the voltage gradient across the plasma membrane, while
ligand-gated ion channels open or close depending on binding of ligands to the channel.
Voltage-gated ion channels open and close in response to membrane potential.

Some types of ion channel based on gating:

Voltage-gated ion channels

Ligand-gated ion channels (also known as ionotropic receptors)

Light-gated ion channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are a class of transmembrane proteins that form ion channels that are
activated by changes in electrical membrane potential near the channel. The electrical membrane
potential, or the difference in electrical charge on either side of a cell membrane, causes
electromotive forces to drive ions toward either side of the membrane. Cell membranes are
generally impermeable to ions, thus they must diffuse through the membrane through
transmembrane protein channels.

Differences in Types of Voltage-Gated Channels

Sodium (Na+) Channels
Sodium channels have similar functional properties across many different cell types. While ten
human genes encoding for sodium channels have been identified, their function is typically
conserved between species and different cell types.
Calcium (Ca2+) Channels
With sixteen different identified genes for human calcium channels, this type of channel differs
in function between cell types. Ca2+ channels give rise to action potentials similarly to Na+
channels in some neurons. In most cells, Ca2+ channels regulate a wide variety of biochemical
processes due to their role in controlling intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.
Potassium (K+) Channels
Potassium channels are the largest and most diverse class of voltage-gated channels, with over
100 encoding human genes. These types of channels differ significantly in their gating
properties; some inactivating extremely slowly and others inactivating extremely quickly. This
difference in activation time influences the duration and rate of action potential firing, which has
a significant effect on electrical conduction along an axon as well as synaptic transmission.
Potassium channels differ in structure from the other channels in that they contain four separate
polypeptide subunits, while the other channels contain four homologous domain but on a single
polypeptide unit.
Chloride (Cl-) Channels
Chloride channels are present in every type of neuron. With the chief responsibility of
controlling excitability, chloride channels contribute to the maintenance of cell resting membrane
potential and help to regulate cell volume.

Ligand-gated
Also known as ionotropic receptors, this group of channels open in response to specific ligand
molecules binding to the extracellular domain of the receptor protein. Ligand binding causes a
conformational change in the structure of the channel protein that ultimately leads to the opening
of the channel gate and subsequent ion flux across the plasma membrane. Examples of such
channels include the cation-permeable "nicotinic" Acetylcholine receptor, ionotropic glutamategated receptorsand ATP-gated P2X receptors, and the anion-permeable -aminobutyric acidgated GABAA receptor.
Ion channels activated by second messengers may also be categorized in this group,
although ligands and second messengers are otherwise distinguished from each other.
Light-gated ion channels are a group of transmembrane proteins that form ion channels; pores
which open or close in response to light. Most light-gated ion channels have been synthesized in
the laboratory for study, though one naturally occurring example, Channelrhodopsin, is currently
known.[1] Photoreceptor proteins, which act in a similar manner to light-gated ion channels are
generally G protein-coupled receptors and not actually gated ion channels.

Light-gated ion channels occur in both natural and synthetic environments. These include:
Naturally Occurring

Channelrhodopsins were the first discovered family of light-gated ion channels.

Channelrhodopsin-1

Channelrhodopsin-2

Synthetically Adapted

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor was the first ion channel to be synthetically adapted with
a light-gated mechanism.

Many other fully synthetic, light-gated channels have produced as well.

Classification by type of ions

Chloride channels:
This super family of poorly understood channels consists of approximately 13 members. They
include ClCs, CLICs, Bestrophins and CFTRs. These channels are non-selective for small
anions; however chloride is the most abundant anion, and hence they are known as chloride
channels.
Potassium channels
Are the most widely distributed type of ion channel and are found in virtually all living
organisms. They

form potassium-selective pores that

span cell

membranes.

Furthermore

potassium channels are found in most cell types and control a wide variety of cell functions.
Sodium channels
Are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through
a cell's plasma membrane. They are classified according to the trigger that opens the channel for
such ions, i.e. either a voltage-change ("Voltage-gated", "voltage-sensitive", or "voltagedependent" sodium channel also called "VGSCs" or "Nav channel") or a binding of a substance
(a ligand) to the channel (ligand-gated sodium channels).
Calcium channel
Calcium channel is an ion channel which displays selective permeability to calcium ions. It is
sometimes synonymous as voltage-dependent calcium channel, although there are also ligandgated calcium channels.
Based on response to stimuli
Transient receptor potential channels:
This group of channels, normally referred to simply as TRP channels, is named after their role
in Drosophilaphototransduction. This family, containing at least 28 members, is incredibly
diverse in its method of activation. Some TRP channels seem to be constitutively open, while

others are gated by voltage, intracellular Ca2+, pH, redox state, osmolarity, and mechanical
stretch. These channels also vary according to the ion(s) they pass, some being selective for
Ca2+ while others are less selective, acting as cation channels. This family is subdivided into 6
subfamilies based on homology: canonical (TRPC), vanilloid receptors (TRPV), melastatin
(TRPM), polycystins (TRPP), mucolipins (TRPML), and ankyrintransmembrane protein 1
(TRPA).