The on-off mechanisms of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ion channel are performed by thermodynamic forces

Journal of Theoretical Biology
K Goto

Abstract

The active sites of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are comparatively strong hydrophobic areas. When nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunits bind with acetylcholines, the polar groups of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholines become more hydrophobic owing to repulsion of the bound water molecules, and the charged groups of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholines are neutralized. Thus, the large hydrophobic areas form at and around the binding sites of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholines. These exposed hydrophobic areas are unstable thermodynamically (oil in water), and thus sink toward the neighboring hydrophobic transmembrane segment (M2). The sinking of the acetylcholine-binding sites with the M2, which contains an ion channel, causes the negative residues of the top of the M2 to descend to the hydrophilic level of the immobile M2 of the other nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits. This pathway, which consists of hydrophilic part of the sunken alpha-subunits and the hydrophilic part of the immobile M2 of other subunits, allows for the easy passage of cations across the cellular membrane. The movements of the alpha-subunits sinking to the transmembrane area cause the re...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 12, 2004·FEBS Letters·Kunihiko GotoToshio Narahashi
May 1, 1997·The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine·K Goto, M Iwamoto

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