[ebook] Theoretical Studies of Structure-Function Relationships in Kv Channels: Electrostatics of the Voltage Sensor

Voltage-gated ion channels mediate electrical excitability of cellular membranes. Reduced models of the voltage sensor of Kv channels produce insight into the electrostatic physics underlying the response of the S4 transmembrane domain to changes in membrane potential. By calculating the partition function computed from the electrostatic energy, I compute expectations of charge displacement, energetics, probability distributions of translation & rotation and Maxwell stress for S2, S3 & S4 arrangements.