Halp. Biochemistry is not my strong suit.
this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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The large purple rectangle is a protein channel across a cell membrane. It's normally closed, but can be opened by binding to a specific small molecule, which is called a ligand. Different channels have different ligands, and their presence/absence controls whether the channels will open.
In the cartoon Larry the ligand has been traveling with his friends, who represent the cargo to be transferred through that channel. When they reach the closed channel, Larry uses himself as the "key" to open the channel. Since channels usually only stay open while the ligand is still bound, Larry stays behind to keep the channel open while his friends make their way forward.
Thank you very much!
I assume that only Larry type molecules were supposed to enter the cell?
No, Larry's friends are supposed to enter, Larry is there to let them in.
Again, thank you for the answer. And thank you for mimicking my rather useless emphasis.
This isn't my strong suit either, but I think no. They open the channel so that other things can go through. They themselves are only the key to let the rest through. The cell needs a lot of stuff to function but this keeps the junk out.
It fits, it sits
The joke would have worked a lot better if Larry's friends were different shapes. There's no visual reason why Larry is the only one that can act as the key.
I like this
What is this? A comic for ANTs?
Great, now I have mad cow proteins in my cell