TY - JOUR
T1 - The Ca channel in skeletal muscle is a large pore
AU - McCleskey, E. W.
AU - Almers, W.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - The permeability of Ca channels to various foreign cations has been investigated in the absence of external Ca2+. All physiological metal cations are clearly permeant, including Mg2+. The large organic cation n-butylamine+ is sparingly permeant or impermeant, but its larger derivative 1,4-diaminobutane2+ is highly permeant. Among the cations of the methylated ammonium series, permeability diminishes in a graded fashion as ion size increases. Tetramethylammonium, the largest cation found to be permeant, has a diameter of about 6 Å; hence, the aqueous pore of the Ca channel at its narrowest point can be no smaller. That the pore is so large strengthens our view that, under physiologic conditions, the high selectivity of Ca channels is due to selective binding of Ca2+ rather than to rejection of other cations by, for example, a sieving mechanism.
AB - The permeability of Ca channels to various foreign cations has been investigated in the absence of external Ca2+. All physiological metal cations are clearly permeant, including Mg2+. The large organic cation n-butylamine+ is sparingly permeant or impermeant, but its larger derivative 1,4-diaminobutane2+ is highly permeant. Among the cations of the methylated ammonium series, permeability diminishes in a graded fashion as ion size increases. Tetramethylammonium, the largest cation found to be permeant, has a diameter of about 6 Å; hence, the aqueous pore of the Ca channel at its narrowest point can be no smaller. That the pore is so large strengthens our view that, under physiologic conditions, the high selectivity of Ca channels is due to selective binding of Ca2+ rather than to rejection of other cations by, for example, a sieving mechanism.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.82.20.7149
DO - 10.1073/pnas.82.20.7149
M3 - Article
C2 - 2413461
AN - SCOPUS:0001177001
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 82
SP - 7149
EP - 7153
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 20
ER -