Ion Channel Reconstitution

It is now over 30 years since the idea of ion-conducting pores burst on the elec- trophysiological scene, 15 years since these were generalIy realized to be mem- brane-spanning proteins, and 10 years since the first observations of single ion channels from higher organisms were made. During the past 5 years, several integral membrane channel proteins have been purified in a functionalIy competent state: the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the Na + channel, mitochondrial "VDAC," and a vari...