興奮性膜のイオンチャネルの研究の最近の進歩

抄録

Nerve excitation has been considered as the voltage- and time- dependent opening and closure of the Na and K channels. This can well explain macroscopic electro-physiological measurements results. Recent biochemical studies of Na and K channels show that the complete purification of their proteins and their incorporation into the artificial lipid bilayer membrane to form the active voltage-dependent ionic channels, will be accomplished in the near future. On the other hand, biophysical and physiological studies using intact nerve fibres have elucidated properties of single channels in the nerve membrane. Now we must increase effort to explain the nerve excitation, which is the macroscopic phenomenon, by distinguishing the microscopic nature of the single channel from the macroscopic nature of many channels activated during the nerve excitation.