Handbook of Ion Channels

The New Benchmark for Understanding the Latest Developments of Ion Channels

Ion channels control the electrical properties of neurons and cardiac cells, mediate the detection and response to sensory stimuli, and regulate the response to physical stimuli. They can often interact with the cellular environment due to their location at the surface of cells. In nonexcitable tissues, they also help regulate basic salt balance critical for homeostasis. All of these features make ion channels important targets for pharmaceuticals.

Handbook of Ion Channels illustrates the fundamental importance of these membrane proteins to human health and disease. Renowned researchers from around the world introduce the technical aspects of ion channel research, provide a modern guide to the properties of major ion channels, and present powerful methods for modeling ion channel diseases and performing clinical trials for ion channel drugs.

Conveniently divided into five parts, the handbook first describes the basic concepts of permeation and gating mechanisms, balancing classic theories and the latest developments. The second part covers the principles and practical issues of both traditional and new ion channel techniques and their applications to channel research. The third part organizes the material to follow the superfamilies of ion channels. This part focuses on the classification, properties, gating mechanisms, function, and pharmacology of established and novel channel types. The fourth part addresses ion channel regulation as well as trafficking and distribution. The final part examines several ion channel-related diseases, discussing genetics, mechanisms, and pharmaceutical advances.

Jie Zheng, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. He earned a PhD in physiology from Yale University and received his postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the University of Washington. Dr. Zheng has published over ten book chapters and review articles as well as numerous original research papers. His current research focuses on the activation mechanism of the temperature-dependent thermoTRP channels.

Matthew Trudeau, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He earned a PhD in physiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Dr. Trudeau’s current work focuses on hERG potassium channels.