Ryanodine receptors are ion channels that allow for the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum.They are expressed in many different cell types but are best known for their predominance in skele...Ryanodine receptors are ion channels that allow for the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum.They are expressed in many different cell types but are best known for their predominance in skeletal and cardiac myocytes,where they are directly involved in excitation-contraction coupling.With molecular weights exceeding 2 MDa,Ryanodine Receptors are the largest ion channels known to date and present major challenges for structural biology.Since their discovery in the 1980s,significant progress has been made in understanding their behaviour through multiple structural methods.Cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions of intact channels depict a mushroom-shaped structure with a large cytoplasmic region that pre-sents many binding sites for regulatory molecules.This region undergoes significant motions during opening and closing of the channel,demonstrating that the Ryanodine Receptor is a bona fide allosteric protein.High-resolution structures through X-ray crystallography and NMR currently cover～11% of the entire protein.The combination of high-and low-resolution methods allows us to build pseudo-atomic models.Here we present an overview of the electron microscopy,NMR,and crystallographic analyses of this membrane protein giant.展开更多
We have investigated theoretically the field-driven electron-transport through a double-quantum-well semiconductor-heterostructure with spin-orbit coupling. The numerical results demonstrate that the transmission spec...We have investigated theoretically the field-driven electron-transport through a double-quantum-well semiconductor-heterostructure with spin-orbit coupling. The numerical results demonstrate that the transmission spectra are divided into two sets due to the bound-state level-splitting and each set contains two asymmetric resonance peaks which may be selectively suppressed by changing the difference in phase between two driving fields. When the phase difference changes from 0 to π, the dip of asymmetric resonance shifts from one side of resonance peak to the other side and the asymmetric Fano resonance degenerates into the symmetric Breit-Wigner resonance at a critical value of phase difference. Within a given range of incident electron energy, the spin polarization of transmission current is completely governed by the phase difference which may be used to realize the tunable spin filtering.展开更多
We have studied the spin-dependent electron transmission through a quantum well driven by both dipole-type and homogeneous oscillating fields. The numerical evaluations show that Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling induce...We have studied the spin-dependent electron transmission through a quantum well driven by both dipole-type and homogeneous oscillating fields. The numerical evaluations show that Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling induces the splitting of asymmetric Fano-type resonance peaks in the conductivity, in which the dipole modulation and the homogeneous modulation are equivalent. Therefore, we predict that the dipole-type oscillation, which is more practical in the experimental setup, can be used to realize the tunable spin filters by adjusting the field oscillation-frequency and the amplitude as well.展开更多
基金funded by the CIHR(operating grant 84350)the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canadaa CIHR new investigator and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar
文摘Ryanodine receptors are ion channels that allow for the release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic or sarcoplasmic reticulum.They are expressed in many different cell types but are best known for their predominance in skeletal and cardiac myocytes,where they are directly involved in excitation-contraction coupling.With molecular weights exceeding 2 MDa,Ryanodine Receptors are the largest ion channels known to date and present major challenges for structural biology.Since their discovery in the 1980s,significant progress has been made in understanding their behaviour through multiple structural methods.Cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions of intact channels depict a mushroom-shaped structure with a large cytoplasmic region that pre-sents many binding sites for regulatory molecules.This region undergoes significant motions during opening and closing of the channel,demonstrating that the Ryanodine Receptor is a bona fide allosteric protein.High-resolution structures through X-ray crystallography and NMR currently cover～11% of the entire protein.The combination of high-and low-resolution methods allows us to build pseudo-atomic models.Here we present an overview of the electron microscopy,NMR,and crystallographic analyses of this membrane protein giant.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 10475053,10775091 and 10774094)the Shanxi Natural Science Foundation,China (Grant No 20051002)
文摘We have investigated theoretically the field-driven electron-transport through a double-quantum-well semiconductor-heterostructure with spin-orbit coupling. The numerical results demonstrate that the transmission spectra are divided into two sets due to the bound-state level-splitting and each set contains two asymmetric resonance peaks which may be selectively suppressed by changing the difference in phase between two driving fields. When the phase difference changes from 0 to π, the dip of asymmetric resonance shifts from one side of resonance peak to the other side and the asymmetric Fano resonance degenerates into the symmetric Breit-Wigner resonance at a critical value of phase difference. Within a given range of incident electron energy, the spin polarization of transmission current is completely governed by the phase difference which may be used to realize the tunable spin filtering.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos 10475053,10775091 and 10774094)the Shanxi Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 20051002)
文摘We have studied the spin-dependent electron transmission through a quantum well driven by both dipole-type and homogeneous oscillating fields. The numerical evaluations show that Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling induces the splitting of asymmetric Fano-type resonance peaks in the conductivity, in which the dipole modulation and the homogeneous modulation are equivalent. Therefore, we predict that the dipole-type oscillation, which is more practical in the experimental setup, can be used to realize the tunable spin filters by adjusting the field oscillation-frequency and the amplitude as well.
