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Cover Image
Cover Image
ON THE COVER
Structures of human-ASIC1a in open (blue) superimposed onto resting (tan) conformation obtained by fitting existing structures of chicken-ASIC1 together with computational modeling. Gating repositions functionally essential residues in the lower pore and defines the GAS belt as the narrowest segment of the pore, establishing its central role in ion selectivity. Image © Chen et al., 2021. See http://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202112978. - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
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Research News
Worms find PEZO-1’s function easy to swallow
JGP study finds that the C. elegans orthologue of the PIEZO family is a mechanosensitive ion channel that regulates pharyngeal pumping and food sensation.
Viewpoint
Structural basis of the super- and hyper-relaxed states of myosin II
Super-relaxation is a state of myosin in which ATP turnover is very slow, conserving energy in relaxed muscle. This work discusses the molecular interactions underlying super- and hyper-relaxation and how these are modulated in normal muscle physiology and disease.
Articles
C. elegans PEZO-1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel involved in food sensation
Millet et al. show that the C. elegans orthologue of the PIEZO family, PEZO-1, is a mechanosensitive ion channel involved in food sensation and in regulating pharyngeal function in the nematode.
The Donnan-dominated resting state of skeletal muscle fibers contributes to resilience and longevity in dystrophic fibers
Morris et al. use a computational model of Pump-Leak/Donnan ion homeostasis to suggest that the Donnan dominated steady-state of skeletal muscle fibers underpins their longevity in the face of the structural and metabolic injuries incurred with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
A flexible GAS belt responds to pore mutations changing the ion selectivity of proton-gated channels
Chen et al. computationally model the open conformation of the hASIC1a channel to predict that mutations that eliminate channel selectivity cause a widening of the GAS belt. Their findings implicate the GAS belt diameter in channel kinetics and ion selectivity.
