Potassium Channels and the Atomic Basis of Selective Ion Conduction (Nobel Lecture)

Closing in on the facts: The key to understanding the transport of K+ ions through the cell membrane lay in the structure elucidation of a K+ ion channel (see picture). The studies of Roderick MacKinnon and co-workers have contributed significantly to the understanding of this research area. In his Nobel Lecture, he describes the structural characteristics of K+ ion channels as well as a possible mechanism for ion conduction.