Lipid interactions with ion channels

This review describes how ion channels interact with the lipid molecules that surround them in a biological membrane and how these interactions affect ion channel function. The composition of the ring, or annulus, of lipid molecules surrounding an ion channel in the membrane will be different to the bulk lipid composition of the membrane if the ion channel has different affinities for different species of phospholipids. Interactions with anionic lipid molecules, particularly with the phosphoinositides, are important for the function of many ion channels. The determination of high-resolution structures for a number of ion channels has provided a framework within which to understand lipid-ion channel interactions at the molecular level.