Chitoporin (VhChiP) is a sugar-specific channel responsible for the transport of
chitooligosaccharides through the outer membrane of the marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi.
Single channel reconstitution into black lipid membrane allowed single chitosugar binding
events in the channel to be resolved. VhChiP has an exceptionally high substrate affinity,
with a binding constant of K= 5.0× 10 6 m− 1 for its best substrate (chitohexaose). The on-
rates of chitosugars depend on applied voltages, as well as the side of the sugar addition …