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Theoretical Model: The structure described on this page was determined theoretically, and hence should be interpreted with caution.

Two copies of the gramicidin protein are shown here () arranged as they are believed to be when they form a channel through a lipid bilayer membrane^[1]. The shape of the protein is shown transparent (ghostly), and a backbone trace connecting the alpha carbon atoms of each amino acid chain is opaque (solid).

• Show of the gramicidin protein chains.
• (Most hydrogen atoms are omitted.)
• Show . Notice how the hydrophobic lipid "tails" exclude water.
• Water passes .

• Show .

• Show only . For an explanation of their structure, see the detailed tutorial, also disponible en español.

See Also

• A detailed explanation and tutorial about Lipid Bilayers and the Gramicidin Channel.
• This model in FirstGlance in Jmol. Be sure to click the Ligands+ and Water buttons!
• BioMolecular Explorer 3D, a resource for high school teachers that includes a section on gramicidin in a lipid bilayer.
• High school teachers' resources
• The Spanish version of this page: Canal de gramicidina en bicapa lipídica (Spanish)

Notes

• The PDB file shown here, Image:Gramicidin in bilayer.pdb.gz, was kindly provided by Serge Crouzy.
• To load the scenes on this page into the SAT, change the page name to User:Eric_Martz/Sandbox_10, where these scenes were developed.

References

1. ↑ Crouzy S, Woolf TB, Roux B. A molecular dynamics study of gating in dioxolane-linked gramicidin A channels. Biophys J. 1994 Oct;67(4):1370-86. PMID:7529578