Central Pore of a BK Channel (IMAGE) University of Massachusetts Amherst Caption The central pore of Big Potassium (BK) channels, shown here in yellow, become depleted of water, shown in blue, to block the passage of potassium ions, shown as pink spheres. UMass Amherst researchers have advanced understanding of how cells gate BK channels and their unusually large central pore. Credit UMass Amherst/Jianhan Chen Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.