GluR0 is a glutamate sensitive potassium ion channel from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis which has been identified via primary structural sequencing to be similar to eukaryotic channels involved in neurotransmitter binding (particularly in the mammalian central nervous system). No high or low resolution structure is currently available for the full structure of any member of this important class of signalling proteins. GluR0 opens in the presence of glutamate to allow potassium ions to move across the membrane. We propose studying the structure of this channel solublized in surfactant solutions in both its open and closed conformations using SANS. A contrast variation approach will allow the relative contributions of the surfactant and the protein to be deconvoluted to provide novel information on the relationship of structure and function in this important family of proteins.