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Medical Definition of Ligand gated ion channel
1. A transmembrane ion channel whose permeability is increased by the binding of a specific ligand, typically a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse. The permeability change is often drastic, such channels let through effectively no ions when shut, but allow passage at up to 10exp7 ions sexp 1 when a ligand is bound. Recently, the receptors for both acetylcholine and GABA have been found to share considerable sequence homology, implying that there may be a family of structurally related ligand gated ion channels. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Ligand Gated Ion Channel
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