Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels are essential for electrical signaling in excitable cells, yet structural snapshots of the conductive state have remained elusive. In a recent study published in Vita1, Nieng Yan and colleagues report the long-sought high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of a eukaryotic Nav channel in an open state, uncovering the molecular mechanisms of ion conduction and fast inactivation.
Jiangtao Guo (Thu,) studied this question.