Membranes initial guess

The initial parameters used for the membrane reactor sensitivity analysis are shown in Table 14.10. These parameters are a first guess of the boundary conditions of the total process. 

The arrival of the odorant or the odorant/OBP complex at the outer surface of the receptor protein induces a change in the latter. It is not possible to see directly what happens at this point. The receptor must be located in the cell wall and therefore we are dealing with single molecule events and these cannot be studied by techniques such as X-ray crystallography. Similarly, the environment is too complex to be amenable to elucidation by NMR. Therefore, ideas on the exact nature of the initial receptor event are based on calculated guesses extrapolated from what we know about other systems. One popular hypothesis is that the binding sites lie inside the cylindrical channel between the seven trans-membrane helices of the receptor protein. This would be consistent with hormone receptors and with the optical receptors in which the retinal-derived... 

---