back to 'Publications and Manuscripts'
K. Kaufmann. 1985. Lipid mechanism and acetylcholinesterase function. book chapter in: Molecular basis of nerve activity. Walter de Gruyter Co, Berlin, New YorkAbstract The mechanism of acetylcholine-induced ion channels is described in detail. On the basis of thermodynamic phase diagram, the free energy coupling, mem- brane excitation, and permeability f1uctucations appear as a consequence of first principles of chemo-mechanical coupling, hydrodynamic excitations. and thermal f1uctuations. The theory is outlined and compared with the observations of proton-induced conformational changes, adiabatic membrane current pulses, and proton-induced ion channels in pure phospholipid bilayers. Local control of permeability and electromotive force across asymmetrically protonated phospholipid membranes is discussed. Enzymatic hydrolysis of acetylcholine thus induces ion channels in agreement with the requirement of a specific receptor mechanism. The mechanism is chemiosmotic and offers a solution to the controversy about localised versus delocalised energy coupling at ATPases.