Imaging the Coupling Between Ion-Channel Conformational Change and Gating

Although we have high-resolution information on the structures of many ion channels, they only provide a static snapshot of the 3D motions that these molecular machines must undergo. This is in sharp contrast to the rapid on-off gating in the flow of ions through these channels that we can measure using other techniques. You will use new microscopy methods capable of measuring both the conformational changes and the flow of ions through an individual channel. This will allow us to understand how the conformational changes in channel structure are linked to the flow of ions through the channel.