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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

2001

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Voltage Gating Of A Model Membrane Spanning Channel, Eric Miller Jan 2001

Voltage Gating Of A Model Membrane Spanning Channel, Eric Miller

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Channels in cell membranes are important for intercellular communication and especially for the function of the nervous system in higher vertebrates. These channels consist of proteins made from the 20 common amino acids. Channel proteins are embedded into the lipid bilayer membranes of living cells and function by allowing the specific passage of a positively charged material such as sodium or potassium ions across the membrane in response to an external signal. The external signaloeither a chemical signal or a voltageoregulates the opening and closing of channels. In an attempt to understand the voltage-dependent opening of channels (igatingi), we are …


Molecular Orbital Studies Of Nitrosyl Metalloporphyrin Complexes, John P. Graham, Genevive Brown Jan 2001

Molecular Orbital Studies Of Nitrosyl Metalloporphyrin Complexes, John P. Graham, Genevive Brown

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Molecular orbital calculations are applied to the study of the structure and bonding of nitrosyl metalloporphyrin complexes. The Fenske-Hall approximate molecular orbital method and the Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) method are used. The calculations provide qualitative and quantitative explanations for the observed structural differences between the nitrosyl porphyrin complexes ofiron, manganese, and cobalt. It is proposed that the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of these complexes is primarily responsible for the observed structural differences. The interaction between the nitrosyl ligand and metal dz2 orbital results in an antibonding orbital that is occupied in the complexes of Fe …