Open AccessMeasurement of cellular excitability by whole cell patch clamp technique
Author(s) -
Mária Karmažínová,
Ľubica Lacinová
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
physiological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1802-9973
pISSN - 0862-8408
DOI - 10.33549/physiolres.932000
Subject(s) - ion channel , patch clamp , gating , biophysics , chemistry , intracellular , ionic bonding , ion current , membrane potential , ion , electrophysiology , current (fluid) , voltage clamp , neuroscience , biology , physics , biochemistry , thermodynamics , receptor , organic chemistry
Patch clamp method developed more than 30 years ago is widelyused for investigation of cellular excitability manifested astransmembrane ionic current and/or generation of actionpotentials. This technique could be applied to measurement ofionic currents flowing through individual (single) ion channels orthrough the whole assembly of ion channels expressed in thewhole cell. Whole cell configuration is more common formeasurement of ion currents and the only one enablingmeasurement of action potentials. This method allows detailedanalysis of mechanisms and structural determinants of voltagedependent gating of ion channels as well as regulation of channelactivity by intracellular signaling pathways and pharmacologicalagents.