Issues

Cover picture: The energy landscapes in the left and center panels reveal the importance of residue Phe103 as an allosteric link between the activation and inactivation gates of the KcsA potassium channel. As the intracellular gate transitions from closed (left) to open (center), the minimum of the energy landscape shifts to favor the rotameric state of Phe103 observed in the open crystal conformation. The right panel illustrates the steric clash that causes the Phe103 to change conformation after the intracellular gate opens (see article by Pan et al., 571–580).