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Conductance of channels opened by acetylcholine-like drugs in muscle end-plate

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Abstract

MOST recent views of the way in which acetylcholine (ACh) can cause ion channels to open postulate that the channel can exist only in one or other of two distinct conformations, open or shut1–4. In their simplest form, these theories predict that a channel, once it is open, will have the same conductance whichever drug caused it to open. We have estimated average single channel conductances for four cholinomimetic agonists, and find this prediction is not confirmed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO9 3TU, UK

    D. COLQUHOUN

  2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195

    V. E. DIONNE, J. H. STEINBACH & C. F. STEVENS

Authors
  1. D. COLQUHOUN
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  2. V. E. DIONNE
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  3. J. H. STEINBACH
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  4. C. F. STEVENS
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COLQUHOUN, D., DIONNE, V., STEINBACH, J. et al. Conductance of channels opened by acetylcholine-like drugs in muscle end-plate. Nature 253, 204–206 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253204a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253204a0

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