Single-Channel Recording

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxii

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2. Methods

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Electronic Design of the Patch Clamp

      • F. J. Sigworth

      Pages 3-35

   3. Geometric Parameters of Pipettes and Membrane Patches

      • B. Sakmann, E. Neher

      Pages 37-51

   4. Science and Technology of Patch-Recording Electrodes

      • D. P. Corey, C. F. Stevens

      Pages 53-68

   5. Enzymatic Dispersion of Heart and Other Tissues

      • G. Trube

      Pages 69-76

   6. A Primer in Cell Culture for Patchologists

      • Ilan Spector

      Pages 77-90

   7. Patch-Clamped Liposomes

      • David W. Tank, Christopher Miller

      Pages 91-105

   8. Tight-Seal Whole-Cell Recording

      • Alain Marty, Erwin Neher

      Pages 107-122

   9. The Loose Patch Clamp

      • Walter Stühmer, William M. Roberts, Wolfhard Almers

      Pages 123-132

3. Concepts and Analysis

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 133-133

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   2. The Principles of the Stochastic Interpretation of Ion-Channel Mechanisms

      • D. Colquhoun, A. G. Hawkes

      Pages 135-175

   3. Conformational Transitions of Ionic Channels

      • P. Läuger

      Pages 177-189

   4. Fitting and Statistical Analysis of Single-Channel Records

      • D. Colquhoun, F. J. Sigworth

      Pages 191-263

   5. Automated Analysis of Single-Channel Records

      • Frederick Sachs

      Pages 265-285

   6. Analysis of Nonstationary Channel Kinetics

      • Richard W. Aldrich, Gary Yellen

      Pages 287-299

   7. An Example of Analysis

      • F. J. Sigworth

      Pages 301-321

   8. Membrane Current and Membrane Potential from Single-Channel Kinetics

      • Louis J. DeFelice, John R. Clay

      Pages 323-342

4. Patch Clamp Data

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 343-343

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   2. Bursts of Openings in Transmitter-Activated Ion Channels

      • D. Colquhoun, Bert Sakmann

      Pages 345-364

Single-channel recording has become a widely used tool for the study of ion permeation mechanisms in biological membranes. Whereas the technique might have been considered an "art" after its introduction in 1976, it developed into a relatively simple method after it became possible to obtain high-resistance (several gigaohm) membrane-pipette seals. In the summer of 1982, a course on the technique was held at the Ettore Majorana Center for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily. It brought together people from most of the laboratories involved in patch clamping at that time. During the course, it became apparent that the technique had reached a state of maturity. Repeatedly, the opinion was expressed that a detailed description of all the aspects of the technique including representative examples of results should be available. We therefore asked the course instructors, as well as several other colleagues, to provide chapters on selected topics in order to produce this volume. The different variants of patch clamping were described quite extensively in an article by Hamill, Marty, Neher, Sakmann, and Sigworth (Pflugers Archiv 391:85) in 1981. Rather than repeating this survey in an introductory chapter, we chose to reprint that article in the Appendix of this volume (by permission of Springer-Verlag). The methods section will, therefore, go straight into detailed aspects of the technol­ ogy.

• activation
• art
• cell
• cell culture
• enzyme
• influence
• liposomes
• membrane
• muscle
• neurons
• resistance
• time
• tissue

• Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Göttingen, Federal Republic of Germany

  Bert Sakmann, Erwin Neher

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