[Biophysics] Pressure/Patch-Clamp Methods

[biospace]

It is approaching 20 years since the introduction of the single-
channel patch-clamp recording technique (Neher and Sakmann, 1976), and
over the last two decades its refinements and diverse applications
have served to maintain it as the dominant technique in membrane
physiology (Neher, 1992; Sakmann, 1992). Historical accounts of the
development of the technique have been given (Sigworth, 1986), and an
extensive literature exists detailing and updating various aspects of
the method (Sakmann and Neher, 1983, 1995; and this volume). In this
chapter we focus on a critical yet some-what neglected aspect of the
method, namely the magnitude and time course of the suction/pressure
applied to the patch and its consequent effects on membrane and
channel properties. Although suction is most often used in obtaining
the tight seal, it has also been shown that excessive suction alters
the properties of specific membrane ion channels (Hamill and McBride,
1992). In particular we describe here recent development of pressure
clamp techniques that allow the application of precise and rapid
suction/pressure steps to membrane patches and whole cells (McBride
and Hamill, 1992, 1993, 1995).
Tonny
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