Open AccessG protein-mediated ion channel activation.
Author(s) -
Gerda E. Breitwieser
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
hypertension
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.986
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1524-4563
pISSN - 0194-911X
DOI - 10.1161/01.hyp.17.5.684
Subject(s) - ion channel , trpc1 , guanine , chemistry , g protein , biophysics , potassium channel , second messenger system , receptor , nucleotide , ligand gated ion channel , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , biology , gene
Guanine nucleotide binding proteins couple a wide variety of receptors to ion channels via both "direct" or membrane-delimited and "indirect" second messenger-mediated pathways. This tutorial summarizes current approaches to defining the mechanisms of guanine nucleotide binding protein-mediated ion channel activation. Two well-characterized ion channels in the heart, namely, the beta-adrenergic receptor-activated calcium channel and the muscarinic receptor-activated potassium channel, are used to illustrate the criteria that can distinguish between direct and indirect guanine nucleotide binding protein-transduced pathways.