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ion channel
noun
: a cell membrane channel that is selectively permeable to certain ions (as of calcium or sodium)
Examples of ion channel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Sydney Funnel Web Spider Bite Sydney Funnel Web Spider Bite Sydney funnel web spider venom contains a compound known as atracotoxin, a highly toxic ion channel inhibitor.
—Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 3 May 2023
Nobody should be starting to eat ion channel blockers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 May 2023
As a result, more functional ion channel protein gets made than would otherwise happen.
—Elie Dolgin, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2023
Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March, for example, suggested that even canonical lock-and-key ion channel receptors might not be as strictly selective as scientists thought.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Wired, 27 June 2021
But the brain’s skinniest neurons sometimes send out random spikes triggered by ion channel proteins’ popping open accidentally.
—Douglas Fox, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2014
This battery of pain takes place because CS gas targets an ion channel called TRPA1, located on the sensory nerve endings of the skin and respiratory tract.
—Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 4 June 2020
David Julius identified the heat-sensing ion channel TRPV1, while Ardem Patapoutian found the touch-sensitive Piezo channels.
—Brian Owens, Discover Magazine, 14 Oct. 2021
Whether an ion channel is open or closed is context dependent.
—Gabriel A. Silva, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ion channel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1964, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ion channel
Cite this Entry
“Ion channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ion%20channel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Medical Definition
ion channel
noun
: a cell membrane channel that is selectively permeable to certain ions (such as of calcium or sodium)
Researchers now know that not only do all cells, including nerve cells, have ion channels through which substances such as sodium and calcium move in and out, but that particular subtypes of sodium channels govern the transmission of pain.—Judy Foreman, The Los Angeles Times
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