Hoshi, T., Zagotta, W.N., Aldrich, R.W. (1990). Biophysical and molecular mechanisms of Shaker potassium channel inactivation.  Science 250(): 533--538.

FBrf0052937

Research paper

The potassium channels encoded by the Drosophila Shaker gene activate and inactivate rapidly when the membrane potential becomes more positive. Site-directed mutagenesis and single-channel patch-clamp recording were used to explore the molecular transitions that underlie inactivation in Shaker potassium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. A region near the amino terminus with an important role in inactivation has now been identified. The results suggest a model where this region forms a cytoplasmic domain that interacts with the open channel to cause inactivation.