Gas Channels
Abstract
Gas transport across cell membranes is critical for physiology and pathophysiology. Preliminary work that exploits the stopped-flow (SF) spectroscopy of hemoglobin (Hb) to study the oxygen (O2) permeability of red blood cells (RBCs) suggests that most O2 moves across the RBCs via channels. Understanding the mechanism of carbon dioxide (CO2) transport may provide insight into the potential movement of O2. The work will test the hypothesis that a close relative of the candidate O2 channel acts as a CO2 channel. The proposed work is part of a long-term effort supported by the ONR to understand, at a molecular level, how gases move through channels. The work will first investigate the mechanism for O2 transport in RBCs and next characterize a potentially new family of gas channels. The research represents a major paradigm shift, totally reorganizing the thinking of how gases cross membranes. The work is relevant for Navy diving (e.g., decompression illness, gas toxicity) and other operational problems (e.g., acute mountain sickness, exercise performance).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 08, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141512060
Entities
People
- Walter Boron
Organizations
- Case Western Reserve University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy