Jian Payandeh nailed it! The first crystal structure of a voltage-gated sodium channel.
July 11,2011
Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) initiate action potentials in excitable cells and are important pharmacological targets. Despite the long history of the Nav channel research, the structure basis of its functions remains elusive. As a joint member of Dr. Bill Catterll's group and our group, Jian got a first glimpse of a bacterial Nav channel, which features an interesting selectivity filter that was characterized by Dr. Bertil Hille in the UW in the 60s.....