Ion Channels

Ion Channels

To the tune of “Mamma Mia” by ABBA

[Verse 1]
The voltage-gated sodium ion channel
Monomeric protein organized into four
Homologous transmembrane domains
Alpha helix four is a sensor of voltage
Made of basic amino acids

[Pre-Chorus] 
P-loops between alpha-helices
Five and six make up the selectivity
Filter

[Chorus] 
Ion channels select and recognize
Different types of ions
They respond to various stimuli
Like electrical, stretch, and ligands 
Their overall function
Allows for diffusion
Of ions across the membrane
Through an aqueous pore
That their transmembrane domains form

[Verse 2] 
The voltage-gated potassium channel
Made up of four subunits surrounding a pore
P-loops in the inner and outer
Helices are the selectivity filter
The channel’s narrowest sector

[Pre-Chorus] 
A signature amino acid sequence
Allows for selection of potassium

[Chorus] x2
Ion channels select and recognize
Different types of ions
They respond to various stimuli
Electrical, stretch, and ligands
Their overall function
Allows for diffusion
Of ions across the membrane
Through an aqueous pore
That their transmembrane domains form