Sodium channel
class of transmembrane protein allowing sodium ions in and out
Sodium channels are integral membrane proteins that form ion channels, conducting sodium ions (Na+) through a cell's membrane. They belong to the superfamily of cation channels.
Classification
Sodium channels are classified into 3 types:
Function
In excitable cells (such as neurons, myocytes, and certain types of glia), sodium channels enable the rising phase of action potentials. These channels go through three different states: resting, active, and inactive. Even though the resting and inactive states do not allow ions to flow through the channels, the difference exists with respect to their structural conformation.
Selectivity
Sodium channels are highly selective for transporting sodium ions across cell membranes. The high selectivity with respect to the sodium ion is achieved in many different ways. All involve encapsulating the sodium ion in a cavity of specific size within a larger molecule.
Voltage-gated sodium channels
Structure
Sodium channels consist of large alpha subunits that associate with accessory proteins, such as beta subunits. An alpha subunit forms the core of the channel and is functional on its own.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sodium channel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.