Ligand-Gated Ion Channels in the Nervous System

What is the primary function of ligand-gated ion channels?

What type of membrane receptors are ligand-gated ion channels?

Where are ligand-gated ion channels commonly found?

What is the term for the specific binding of a ligand to a receptor?

What is the shape of the ligand complementary to?

What is the function of the kink in the ion channel?

What is the term for transmembrane ion channels?

What is the environment inside the cell?

What happens to the closed channel when a ligand binds to the allosteric site?

What is the main purpose of membrane receptors?

What type of ion channels rely on the difference in membrane potential?

What is the result of ions moving through the open channel?

What is the term for the binding site of the ligand that is not on the channel itself?

What is the effect of multiple allosteric binding sites on a protein?

What is the characteristic of stretch-activated ion channels?

What is the significance of the ligand binding to the allosteric site?

What is the result of the conversion of an extracellular ligand signal to an intracellular electrical signal?

What is the characteristic of ligand-gated ion channels?

Ligand-gated ion channels are a type of major membrane receptors that open or close in response to the binding of a chemical messenger (ligand).
There are three categories of major membrane receptors: ligand-gated ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors, and enzyme-linked receptors.
Ligand-gated ion channels are commonly found in electrically excitable cells, such as neurons, due to their quick reaction to ligand binding.

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane ion channels with a channel or hole through which ions can move in and out.
The channel has a specific binding site for a ligand, which is complementary to the shape of the ligand.
Only specific ligands can bind to specific channels, following the "lock and key" or "induced fit" principle.
When a ligand binds, it causes the channel to open, allowing ions to move through the membrane.

The binding site of the ligand is not near the actual channel, but rather at an allosteric site.
The binding of the ligand to the allosteric site causes a change in the protein conformation, which opens the channel.
The allosteric binding site can be intracellular, but it is generally located on the extracellular side.

When the channel opens, ions such as potassium, sodium, chlorine, or calcium can move through the membrane.
This change in ion permeability causes a change in the electrical properties of the cell.
The movement of ions in and out of the cell generates an intracellular electrical signal.

Ligand-gated ion channels are not the same as voltage-gated ion channels, which rely on the difference in membrane potential.
Ligand-gated ion channels are also distinct from stretch-activated ion channels, which depend on the deformation of the cell membrane.