Summary
1. The paper summarizes the effects of the metal ions Cu2+, Pb2+, Ag+, Hg2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ applied externally or internally to the surface membrane of different excitable cells.
2. Conductance changes induced by metal ions, and metal ion-activated current, are compared with respect to their ion and voltage dependence.
3. It is suggested that metal ion-induced effects can be realized through special structures of the cell membrane, the metal ion “receptors,” although other mechanisms, as, for example, competition for Ca-binding sites in the channel forming proteins, cannot be excluded.
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Kiss, T., Osipenko, O. Metal ion-induced permeability changes in cell membranes: A minireview. Cell Mol Neurobiol 14, 781–789 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088684
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088684