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Published June 2004 | public
Journal Article

Cys-loop receptors: new twists and turns

Abstract

New hypotheses and predictions have arisen from recent work revealing atomic-scale or near-atomic-scale structures of receptors in the 'Cys-loop' superfamily. How general is the cation–π interaction between the natural ligand and a tryptophan residue in the aromatic box, and does this interaction extend to other ligands? What is the pathway from the binding site to gating, and what are the conformational changes during gating and desensitization? Is current flow through intracellular 'portals' in the wall of the channel a general feature? This article discusses these and related questions, emphasizing nicotinic ACh receptors and also discussing data from other members of this superfamily.

Additional Information

© 2004 Elsevier Ltd. Available online 14 April 2004. We thank members of our research groups for comments and the NIH (NS11756 and NS34407) for support.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023