Issues

JGP study reveals that clinically relevant doses of ionizing radiation induce an immune response in T cells by triggering the store-operated Ca²⁺ entry pathway.

The authors expose T lymphocytes to x-ray doses relevant in tumor therapy. This triggers an immune response via activation of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry.

Combining electrophysiology and molecular dynamics simulations, Mancino et al. highlight the role of two alternatively spliced residues in the DI S3–S4 linker that determine channel activation in Nav1.5, and they propose a conserved function in the related isoform Nav1.4.

Baranovic et al. describe how Con-ikot-ikot conotoxin modulates the activity of AMPA receptors, major mediators of excitatory neurotransmission. Con-ikot-ikot blocks AMPA receptor desensitization, like cyclothiazide and (R, R)-2b, but unlike them it is a poor stabilizer of the fully open channel.

Glt_Ph is a model glutamate transporter with a kinetic heterogeneity of transport. Reddy et al. show that substrate binding is heterogeneous and suggest that subtle structural differences distinguish transporter subpopulations with different dynamic properties.

The heterotrimeric G protein contains an α subunit and βγ dimer, which relay signals from G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to the intracellular milieu. McIntire proposes a model in which initial interactions between Gβγ and GPCR prime the receptor for subsequent interactions with Gα.