Porins are -barrel structures with a central aqueous channel that is narrowed to produce elliptical pore. The channel can handle solutes with a diameter of more than 600D. The sort of material that may move through the central aqueous channel is determined by its size and the residues that develop at the trans-membrane. A solid core can be found in a -barrel with eight strands. The diameter of the cross-section of porins grows enough to allow a pore for solute transport when the number of strands increases to 16 or 18 strands.
Hence,lysine and arginine are abundant near the onset of porin, which is phosphate ion specific.