Regensburg 2002 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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SYBM: Physik biologischer Materie

SYBM 401: Physics of biological matter: Poster

SYBM 401.1: Poster

Dienstag, 12. März 2002, 18:00–19:30, H37

Ion channel gating: a first passage time analysis of the Kramers type — •Igor Goychuk and Peter Hänggi — Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstr. 1, D-86135 Augsburg

The opening rate of voltage-gated potassium ion channels exhibits a characteristic, knee-like turnover where the common exponential voltage-dependence changes suddenly into a linear one. An explanation of this puzzling crossover is put forward in terms of a stochastic first passage time analysis. The theory predicts that the exponential voltage-dependence correlates with the exponential distribution of closed residence times. This feature occurs at large negative voltages when the channel is predominantly closed. In contrast, the linear part of voltage-dependence emerges together with a non-exponential distribution of closed dwelling times with increasing voltage, yielding a large opening rate. Depending on the parameter set, the closed-time distribution displays a power law behavior which extends over several decades.

Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft via SFB 486 (Project A10)

[1] I. Goychuk and P. Hänggi, physics/0111187