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Computational Studies of the Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels

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Mechanosensitive Ion Channels

Part of the book series: Mechanosensitivity in Cells and Tissues ((MECT,volume 1))

abstract

Bacterial mechanosensitive (MS) channels were first documented in giant spheroplasts of Escherichia coli during a survey of the bacterial cell membrane by the patch clamp some twenty years ago. Two major events that greatly advanced and kept the research on bacterial MS channels at the forefront of the MS channel research field include: (i) cloning of MscL and MscS, the MS channels of Large and Small conductance, and (ii) solving their 3D crystal structure. In addition to advancing further experimental studies of the bacterial MS channels by enabling the use of new techniques, such as EPR and FRET spectroscopy, these events also enabled theoretical approaches to be employed. In this chapter we will review recent computational approaches used to elucidate the molecular dynamics of MscL and MscS, which has significantly contributed to our understanding of basic physical principles of the mechanosensory transduction in living organisms.

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Authors
  1. Ben Corry
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  2. Boris Martinac
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Russian State Medical University, Russia and Humboldt-University, Moscow, Berlin, Germany

    Andre Kamkin  & Irina Kiseleva  & 

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Corry, B., Martinac, B. (2008). Computational Studies of the Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels. In: Kamkin, A., Kiseleva, I. (eds) Mechanosensitive Ion Channels. Mechanosensitivity in Cells and Tissues, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6426-5_4

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