Molecular properties of a superfamily of plasma-membrane cation channels.

The principal subunits of a large superfamily of plasma-membrane cation channels are functionally autonomous in ion conductance and in gating by membrane potential and intracellular ligands. Recent work has located the structural elements responsible for the ion conductance and gating of these channels. These studies reveal strong functional analogies among the different ion channels and suggest that the striking differences in their properties arise as variations on a common structural and functional theme.