If your four-subunit ion channel is anything like a five-subunit nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor, then perhaps the following text from a review
in TiPS August 1992 [Vol. 13] by Changeux et al. will be useful:
...and demonstrated that the recognition between subunits takes place
primarily at the level of the extracellular N-terminal domain [8,9].
Thus, despite their critical function in ion translocation, the
hydrophobic uncharged segments seem to play little part in the
specificity of interactions between subunits.
The references he gave are
8. Gu, Y., Camacho, P., Gardner, P. & Hall, Z.W. (1991) Neuron 6 879-887.
9. Verrall, S. & Hall, Z.W. (1992) Cell 68 23-31.
Good Luck!
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< Ramin Nakisa, She walks in beauty Tel: 071 589-5111 x 6729 >
> Biophysics Section, As the night of FAX: 071 589-0191 <
< The Blackett Lab, starry skies and ramin at bio.ph.ic.ac.uk >
> Imperial College, cloudless climes... biophys at v1.ph.ic.ac.uk <
< London SW7 2BZ. mbrcn at dlvh.dl.ac.uk >
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