Potassium Channel Illustration (IMAGE)

WashU Medicine

Potassium Channel Illustration

Caption

Potassium ions (shown in purple) pass through the narrow opening of a large potassium channel to generate the electrical signals that allow cells to communicate with one another. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have shown how an unusual protein temporarily blocks these ions from the channel, which gives cells a chance to recover so they can continue firing.

Credit

Lingle laboratory

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