Cooperative mechanosensitive ion channels in Escherichia coli. |
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Authors: | I Szabo V Petronilli L Guerra M Zoratti |
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Affiliation: | CNR Unit, Institute of General Pathology, Padova, Italy. |
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Abstract: | A patch-clamp investigation was carried out on giant Escherichia coli spheroplasts. The membrane exhibited stretch-induced as well as "spontaneous" activity, with similar characteristics, i.e., a large number of conductance values arising from the cooperative behavior of channels in functional clusters. It appears likely that the same molecular species are responsible for both stretch-induced and "spontaneous" current conduction; the channel multiplexes can either respond to membrane stretch or function in an activate state, presumably brought about by the previous application of the mechanical stimulus. |
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