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Article: Atomic-Size 'Sorter' Performs Vital Cellular Function.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Stem Cell Week
- Article date:
- November 26, 2001
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2001 NOV 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists are now able to "see" a structure that acts as an atomic-size sorter for cells. Without it, many important life functions - nerve signal firing, heartbeat, hormone secretion - could not occur.
The "selectivity filter," never before visualized in such exquisite detail, provides precise biochemical conditions needed for ions during their intercellular travel.
Ions, the electrically charged atoms that power many vital functions, traverse cell membranes through specialized proteins called ion channels. The proteins provide pathways between the inner part of the cell and the exterior. The selectivity ...