Mechanosensitive Channel in <I>E. coli</I> in Closed and Open Positions (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Mechanosensitive Channel in <I>E. coli</I> in Closed and Open Positions

Caption

Representations of the pore section of the MscS channel in E. coli in its nonconducting (top) and open (bottom) configurations are based on X-ray crystallization studies of the protein's structure. The transition between closed and open states is often described as similar to the narrowing and expanding of the pupil of the eye. The "closed" state can still appear to have an opening because amino acids around the opening act as a "hydrophobic plug" that prevents ions from moving through it.

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E. Haswell/WUSTL

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