This is from my professors notes. I am not understanding this too much. Could I

Question

This is from my professors notes. I am not understanding this too much. Could I get more details that will help understand this?

"Depolarization (more positive voltage) of
the cell membrane causes the S4 segment
to move outward relative to the membrane.
This results in a motion similar to the
twisting of a screw that causes the pore to
open, allowing the passage of ions through
the channel.
Since there are 4 subunit (or domains), the
concerted effort of 4 S4 domains will have a
greater impact on channel opening than
that of a single S4.
They first move independently, then in a
concerted fashion, leading to channel
opening."

Explanation / Answer

Depolarization of cell is the phenomenon by which a negatively charged cell will be given a positive charge for a brief period of time. This change in membrane potential causes the ion channels such as ion pumps, sodium potassium pumps to open up. Upon natural stimuli only one of the pump will open at a time. During this process all the four channels will open up hence will have grater impact on channel opening than that of single sub unit.

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