BSI Lecture 53 Basic Electrophysiology 1 Flashcards
Ions will flow down their _______ ________ across the membranes of excitable cells ( neurons and muscle cells)
Electrochemical gradients
What is an electrochemical gradient?
A concentration difference and charge separation.
What is the function of membrane pumps?
Move ions across membranes to maintain concentration gradients. (This is far too slow for normal neuronal function)
Ion channels are transmembrane proteins that form an _____ _____ which, when opened do allow extremely rapid ion flows.
Aqueous pore
____ ______ does not show saturations/Vmax.
Ion channels
Ion channels are composed of multiple _____ ______
Protein subunits
Ion channels can open or close by appropriate stimulus such as a _____ ____ or a _____ _____.
Voltage change ; chemical messenger
T or F? Most ion channels are specific for one or two ions only.
True
How are the specific ions determined for an ion channel?
Charge/polarized atoms from AA’s lining the pore; for positive ions the charges must be negative whereas for negative ions they must be positive, (“like charges” repel/”unlike charges” attract)
How are the “selectivity filter” of an ion channel determined?
By the charged side-groups, (“R” groups), of the AAs lining the pore.
What are the “types” of ion channels?
Leak
Voltage-gated
Ligand-gated (extracellular/intracellular)
Stress-gated (mechanically-gated)
How are voltage-gated channels opened?
When the membrane potential reaches a certain value.
How are ligand-gated channels opened?
By a chemical such as a neurotransmitter (ligand/agonist/primary messenger); note that some channels are opened by intracellular ligands(secondary messenger) or protein-protein interactions w/G-protein subunits
Leak channels are always _________.
Open (note: no gating but can be modulated)
That is the primary function of a “leak” channel?
They are principally responsible for generating the resting membrane potential, (RMP), which determines the overall excitability of the cell. (They can be modulated)
T or F? Ion channels only have 1 modulatory site.
False, they have multiple sites.
T or F? Voltage-gated channels are the channels principally involved in communication between neurons and neurons and effectors
False, Ligand-gated channels
T or F? Ionotropic receptions are ligand-gated channels with the receptor and ion channel combined: no G-proteins involved!
True
What is the potential or potential difference?
The voltage difference between two points
What is a membrane potential or transmembrane potential (Em)?
The voltage difference between the inside and outside of the cell
What is equilibrium potential (Eq. Pot)?
The voltage difference across a membrane that produces a flux of a given ion species that is equal but opposite to the flux due to the concentration gradient of that same ion species.
What is resting membrane potential or resting potential? (RMP)
the steady transmembrane potential of a cell that si not producing an electric signal