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Life Science > Cell Biology > Learning Center > Pathway Slides & Charts  > Activation & Inactivation
Cell Signaling & Neuroscience

Activation & Inactivation

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Figure-3b

Activation and Inactivation Of The Sodium Channel

Sodium channels are characterized by voltage-dependent activation, rapid inactivation, and selective ion conductance. Depolarization of the cell membrane opens the ion pore allowing sodium to passively enter the cell down its concentration gradient . The increase in sodium conductance further depolarizes the membrane to near the sodium equilibrium potential. Inactivation of the sodium channel occurs within milliseconds, initiating a brief refractory period during which the membrane is not excitable. The mechanism of inactivation has been modeled as a "hinged lid" or "ball and chain", where the intracellular loop connecting domains III and IV of the a subunit closes the pore and prevents passage of sodium ions.

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References:

Lehmann-Horn, F., and Jurkat-Rott, K., Voltage-gated ion channels and hereditary disease. Physiol. Rev., 79, 1317-1372 (1999).

Catterall, W.A., From ionic currents to molecular mechanisms: the structure and function of voltage-gated sodium channels. Neuron, 26, 13-25 (2000).