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. 2003 Dec;29(4):429–446. doi: 10.1023/A:1027309113522

Physics of Ion Channels

Serdar Kuyucak 1, Turgut Bastug 1
PMCID: PMC3456178  PMID: 23345858

Abstract

We review the basic physics involved in transport of ions across membrane channels in cells. Electrochemical forces that control the diffusion of ions are discussed both from microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. A case is made for use of Brownian dynamics as the minimal phenomenological model that provides a bridge between experiments and more fundamental theoretical approaches. Application of Brownian and molecular dynamics methods to channels with known molecular structures is discussed.

Keywords: Brownian dynamics, continuum theories, ion channels, molecular dynamics, permeation models

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Contributor Information

Serdar Kuyucak, Email: serdar.kuyucak@anu.edu.au.

Turgut Bastug, Email: turgut.bastug@anu.edu.au.

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