Theoretical Studies on the Dynamics of Ion Permeation Across Membrane Channels

大脑中所有的电活动都是由离子通道的打开和关闭来调节的。因此，在分子水平上理解它们的机制是生物学的一个基本问题。有许多不同类型的离子通道，每种类型都有不同的作用。我们现在知道形成离子通道的几种蛋白质的确切原子结构。利用这些新发现的信息，我们建议建立许多不同类型离子通道的精确物理模型。然后，利用强大的超级计算机，我们建议跟踪离子在通道中的运动，研究通道如何选择正确类型的离子通过它，并确定单个通道每秒能够处理多少个离子。我们的理论和计算机模拟所作的预测将在实验中得到验证。一旦我们完全了解这些通道是如何工作的，我们将能够了解许多神经、肌肉和肾脏疾病的原因，并可能找到治疗方法。

All electrical activities in the brain are regulated by opening and closing of ion channels. Thus, understanding their mechanisms at a molecular level is a fundamental problem in biology. There are many different types of ion channels, each type fulfilling a different role. We now know the exact atomic structures of several types of the proteins forming ion channels. Using this newly unveiled information, we propose to build exact physical models of many different types of ion channels. Then, making use of powerful supercomputers, we propose to follow the motion of ions as they move through the channel, study how a channel can select only the correct type of ions to traverse it and determine how many ions a single channel is capable of processing per second. The predictions made by our theory and computer simulations will be checked experimentally. Once we fully understand how these channels work, we will be able to understand the causes of, and possibly find the cures for, many neurological, muscular and renal disorders.