New publication in J. Phys. Chem. B
Together with our colleagues at the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics at the University of Chicago, we have developed a method using infrared spectroscopy and atomistic modeling that would allow to better understand the mechanism behind the extreme ion selectivity and transport properties in ion channels. Our findings have recently been published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. [caption id="attachment_1312" align="aligncenter" width="584"] Location of the potassium channel KcsA in the cell membrane of bacteria. The schematic illustration on the right shows the changes in strength and direction of vibrational coupling inside the filter depending on the ion species, as found by the study. @David S. Goodsell & RCSB Protein Data Bank[/caption] Ion channels are essential structures of life. Ion channels are specialized pores in the cell membrane and move charged…