Analytical Sciences


Abstract − Analytical Sciences, 32(2), 189 (2016).

Analysis of Ion Transport through a Single Channel of Gramicidin A in Bilayer Lipid Membranes
Shintaro KUBOTA, Osamu SHIRAI, Yuki KITAZUMI, and Kenji KANO
Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
Ion transport through a single channel of gramicidin A (GA) within the bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) between two aqueous phases (W1 and W2) has been analyzed based on the electroneutrality principle. The single-channel current increases in proportion to the magnitude of the applied membrane potential and is also dependent on the permeability coefficients of electrolyte ions (K+ and Cl). By varying the ratio of the concentration of KCl in W1 to that in W2, the ratio of the diffusion coefficient of K+ in the BLM to that of Cl in the BLM can be evaluated.