Electrical Current through a Bacterial Toxin

Alpha-hemolysin, a protein manufactured by bacteria that forms pores in cell membranes, can be used to detect molecules because they block electrical current through the pore. The movie shows a computer simulation in which the motion of ions from salt dissolved in the water can be seen. The positively charged potassium ions (in blue) move upward through the alpha-hemolysin (in green), while the negatively charged chloride ions (in red) move downward, constituting an electric current.

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http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/hemolysin/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• bacterial
• toxin
• alpha-hemolysin
• electric
• current