Summary
If a membrane contains ion-conducting channels which form and disappear in a random fashion, an electric current which is passed through the membrane under constant voltage shows statistical fluctuations. Information on the kinetics of channel formation and on the conductance of the single channel may be obtained by analyzing the electrical noise generated in a membrane containing a great number of channels. For this purpose the autocorrelation function of the current noise is measured at different concentrations of the channel-forming substance. As a test system for the application of this technique we have used lipid bilayer membranes doped with gramicidin A. From the correlation time of the current noise generated by the membrane, the rate constants of formation (k R ) and dissociation (k D ) of the channels could be determined. In addition, the mean square of the current fluctuations yielded the single-channel conductance Λ. The values ofk R ,k D , and Λ obtained from the noise analysis agreed closely with the values determined by relaxation measurments and single-channel experiments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, C. R., Stevens, C. F. 1973. Voltage clamp analysis of acetylcholine produced end-plate current fluctuations at frog neuromuscular junction.J. Physiol. (London) 235:655
Bamberg, E., Läuger, P. 1973. Channel formation kinetics of gramicidin A in lipid bilayer membranes.J. Membrane Biol. 11:177
Bamberg, E., Läuger, P. 1974. Temperature-dependent properties of gramicidin A channels.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 367:127
De Felice, L. J., Michalides, J. P. L. M. 1972. Electrical noise from synthetic membranes.J. Membrane, Biol. 9:261
Derksen, H. E. 1965. Axon membrane voltage fluctuations.Acta Physiol. Pharmacol. Neerl. 13:373
Elson, E. L., Magde, D. 1974. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. I. Conceptual basis and theory.Biopolymers 13:1
Feher, G., Weissman, M. 1973. Fluctuation spectroscopy: Determination of chemical reaction kinetics from the frequency spectrum of fluctuations.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 70:870
Fishman, H. M. 1973. Relaxation spectra of potassium channel noise from squid axon membranes.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 70:876
Fishman, H. M., Dorset, D. L. 1973. Comments of “electrical fluctuations associated with active transport”.Biophys. J. 13:1339
Green, M. E., Yafuso, M. 1968. A study of the noise generated during ion transport across membranes.J. Phys. Chem. 72:4072
Goodall, M. C. 1973. Action of two classes of channel-forming synthetic peptides on lipid bilayers.Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 157:514
Hestenes, J. D., Chang, D. B. 1973. Brillouin scattering from thermal fluctuations of a thin membrane in a viscous fluid.J. Colloid Interface Sci. 42:120
Hill, T. L. 1960. Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics, Chapter 10. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass.
Hill, T. L., Chen, Y. 1972. On the theory of ion transport across the nerve membrane. IV. Noise from the open-close kinetics of K+ channels.Biophys. J. 12:948
Hladky, S. B., Haydon, D. A. 1970. Discreteness of conductance change in bimolecular lipid membranes in the presence of certain antibiotics.Nature 225:451
Hladky, S. B., Haydon, D. A. 1972. Ion transfer across lipid membranes in the presence of gramicidin A. I. Studies of the unit conductance channel.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 274:294
Johnson, J. B. 1928. Thermal agitation of electricity in conductors.Physic. Rev. 32:97
Katz, B., Miledi, R. 1972. The statistical nature of the acetylcholine potential and its molecular components.J. Physiol. (London) 224:665
Katz, B., Miledi, R. 1973. The characteristics of “end-plate noise” produced by different depolarizing drugs.J. Physiol. (London) 230:707
Kittel, C. 1958. Elementary Statistical Physics. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York
Krasne, S., Eisenman, G., Szabo, G. 1971. Freezing and melting of lipid bilayers and the mode of action of nonactin, valinomycin, and gramicidin.Science 178:24
Kubo, R. 1957. Statistical-mechanical theory of irreversible processes. I. General theory and simple applications to magnetic and conduction problems.J. Phys. Soc. Japan 12:570
Läuger, P. 1973. Ion transport through pores: A rate-theory analysis.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 311:423
Läuger, P., Lesslauer, W., Marti, E., Richter, J. 1967. Electrical properties of bimolecular phospholipid membranes.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 135:20
Lecar, H., Nossal, R. 1971a. Theory of treshold fluctuations in nerves. I. Relationships between electrical noise and fluctuations in axon firing.Biophys. J. 11:1048
Lecar, H., Nossal, R. 1971b. Theory of treshold fluctuations in nerves. II. Analysis of various sources of membrane, noise.Biophys. J. 11:1068
Magde, D., Elson, E., Webb, W. W. 1972. Thermodynamic fluctuations in a reacting system-Measurement by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.Physical Rev. Letters 29:705
Magde, D., Elson, E. L., Webb, W. 1974. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. II. An experimental realization.Biopolymers 13:29
Michalides, J. P. L. M., Wallaart, R. A. M., De Felice, L. J. 1973. Electrical noise from PVC-membranes.Pflüg. Arch. 341:97
Nyquist, H. 1928. Thermal agitation of electrical charge in conductors.Physic. Rev. 32:110
Onsager, L. 1931. Reciprocal relations in irreversible processes. II.Physic. Rev. 38:2265
Poussart, D. J. M. 1971. Membrane current noise in lobster axon under voltage clamp.Biophys. J. 11:211
Segal, J. R. 1972. Electrical fluctuations associated with active transport.Biophys. J. 12:1371
Siebenga, E., Meyer, A., Verveen, A. A. 1973. Membrane shot-noise in electrically depolarized nodes of Ranvier.Pflüg. Arch. 341:97
Stark, G., Benz, R., Pohl, G. W., Janko, K. 1972. Valinomycin as a probe for the study of structural changes of black lipid membranes.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 266:603
Stevens, C. F. 1972. Inferences about membrane properties from electrical noise measurements.Biophys. J. 12:1028
Träuble, H., Sackmann, E. 1972. Studies of the crystalline-liquid crystalline phase transition of lipid model membranes. III. Structure of a steroid-lecithin system below and above the lipid-phase transition.J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 94:4499
Urry, D. W. 1971. The gramicidin A transmembrane channel: A prosposedπ (L,D) helix.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 68:672
Urry, D. W., Goodall, M. C., Glickson, J. S., Mayers, D. F. 1971. The gramicidin A transmembrane channel: Characteristics of head-to-head dimerizedπ (L,D) helices.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 68:1907
Van der Ziel, A. 1970. Noise. Sources, Characterisation, Measurement. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
Verveen, A. A., Derksen, H. E. 1968. Fluctuation phenomena in nerve membrane.Proc. IEEE 56:906
Wanke, E., De Felice, L. J., Conti, F. 1974. Voltage noise, current noise and impedance in space clamped squid giant axon.Pflüg. Arch. 347:63
White, S. 1970. Thickness changes in lipid bilayer membranes.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 196:354
White, S. 1973. Capacitance, area, and thickness variations in thin lipid films.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 323:7
Wobschall, D. 1971. Bilayer membrane elasticity and dynamic response.J. Colloid Interface Sci. 36:385
Yeh, Y., Keeler, R. N. 1969. A new probe for reaction kinetics. The spectrum of scattered light.Quart. Rev. Biophys. 2:315
Zingsheim, H. P., Neher, E. 1974. The equivalence of fluctuation analysis and chemical relaxation measurements: A kinetic study of ion pore formation in thin lipid membranes.Biophys. Chem. (In press)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kolb, H.A., Läuger, P. & Bamberg, E. Correlation analysis of electrical noise in lipid bilayer membranes: Kinetics of gramicidin A channels. J. Membrain Biol. 20, 133–154 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01870632
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01870632