Ion Channels

Question 1

FUndamental Feature of an ion channel

Answer 1

• its pore
• The pore is a hole in the structure of the channel that allows ions to flow through
  a. Based on the arrangement of amino acids, only certain ions can flow through

Question 2

pore-loop channels

Answer 2

• We will focus on a large group of ion channels called the pore-loop channels, which have a loop of amino acids in the pore region of the channel. These channels also have 4 transmembrane subunits

Question 3

What depends on the structure of a protein

Answer 3

Proteins are defined by the ultrastructures they form, and protein transport, accessibility, activity, and binding all depend on the structure a protein has

Question 4

Primary Structure

Answer 4

sequence of amino acids that will influence the basic structure of the protein. While the peptide bond between adjacent amino acids are rigid, the other aspects of the amino acid will interact with each other to start coiling and forming secondary structures

Question 5

Secondary Structure

Answer 5

alpha-helix and beta pleated sheets are what we call this coiled structure of amino acids

Question 6

Tertiary Structure

Answer 6

When secondary structures within a protein start interacting with each other, it forms a tertiary structure using other bonding types (like disulfide bonds)

Question 7

Quarternary

Answer 7

when multiple “units” with tertiary structure interact together, you get a quaternary structure (i.e. ion channels)