Figure 6. State-dependent change in solvation is a possible mechanism of temperature dependent gating.

The cartoons (Top) and (Bottom) depict the voltage-sensors in resting and activated conformations. Voltage-dependent change in the VSD is associated with a change in solvation of a residue. When the residue is polar (Top), activation will be conferred a negative ΔC_P (indicated by the blue halo around the hydration shell) and when the residue is non-polar (Bottom), activation will be conferred a positive ΔC_P (indicated by the red halo around the hydration shell). The opposite signs of ΔC_P in the two cases will lead to one of them (Top) being heat sensitive and the other (Bottom) being cold sensitive.