Ion Transport and (Selected) Ion Channels in Biological Membranes in Health and Pathology

Ion channels serve multiple functions in organisms. Defective ion channel molecules lead to hundreds of different diseases. This chapter describes the mechanisms of the three most common channel-related diseases: diabetes, stroke, and cystic fibrosis (CF). Ion channels are not directly responsible for a stroke, but they are suspected to play a role in stroke prevention. Ashcroft et al. discovered that potassium channels are blocked by ATP in ß-cells of the pancreas. These cells are responsible for insulin secretion when the glucose concentration in blood rises. CF is caused by the defect in a single gene that encodes a chloride channel present in the epithelial cell layer called the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The developments of completely new techniques are required to get an insight into the transport process and give potential hope for patients of this incurable disease.