Recording Currents from Channels and Transporters in Macropatches

  • Guiying Cui
  • Matthew D. Fuller
  • Christopher H. Thompson
  • Zhi-Ren Zhang
  • Nael A. McCarty
Protocol
Part of the Neuromethods book series (NM, volume 38)

Abstract

This chapter describes methods for the study of ion channels and transporters by recording from membrane macropatches. While investigators have made use of many different cell types for such experiments, we focus here on studies of these proteins expressed exogenously in Xenopus oocytes. We rely on this model system in our laboratory for a number of reasons, including the fact that we are able to obtain seals of very high resistance, typically >150 GΩ. Where possible, we draw comparisons with the study of the same channels by other macroscopic recording techniques; where possible, we also compare results from macropatch experiments with results of similar experiments using single-channel recording. We provide examples of experiments with the following proteins: the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), the rabbit ClC-2 voltage-gated chloride channel, and a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger from Drosophila melanogaster (Calx1.2).

Keywords

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Oocyte Membrane Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Channel Seal Formation Suction Port 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ 2007

Authors and Affiliations

  • Guiying Cui
    • 1
  • Matthew D. Fuller
    • 2
  • Christopher H. Thompson
    • 1
  • Zhi-Ren Zhang
    • 1
  • Nael A. McCarty
    • 1
  1. 1.School of BiologyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta
  2. 2.Program in Molecular and Systems PharmacologyEmory UniversityAtlanta

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