On the crucial features of a single-file transport model for ion channels

Abstract

It has long been accepted that the multiple-ion single-file transport model is appropriate for many kinds of ion channels. However, most of the purely theoretical works in this field did not capture all of the important features of the realistic systems. Nowadays, large-scale atomic-level simulations are more feasible. Discrepancy between theories, simulations and experiments are getting obvious, enabling people to carefully examine the missing parts of the theoretical models and methods. In this work, it is attempted to find out the essential features that such kind of models should possess, in order that the physical properties of an ion channel be adequately reflected.