The voltage sensor of ion channels revealed

Voltage-gated ion channels control the excitability of nerve, muscle, endocrine and other cell types, thereby regulating a broad spectrum of cellular processes. How these channels sense changes in the potential across the membrane has remained a mystery for decades. The long-awaited crystal structure of a voltage-gated ion channel was recently published by Jiang et al., revealing an unexpected and surprisingly simple mechanism of voltage sensing and gating in these channels.