The structural dynamics and molecular coupling in the slow inactivation of a prokaryotic voltage-gated sodium channel

A research group led by Associate Professor Katsumasa Irie of the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry for Drug Design, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wakayama Medical University, has determined the precise atomic structure and interactions between amino acids in an ion channel that regulates cellular excitability, including neuronal signal transmission. Using high-precision X-ray crystallographic analysis at beamline BL09U of the 3 GeV Advanced Synchrotron Radiation Facility NanoTerasu and the large-scale synchrotron radiation facility SPring-8, the researchers have comprehensively elucidated the molecular mechanism underlying the gradual braking of ion channel activity, solving a long-standing scientific mystery.