Biophys J, December 2002, p. 3296-3303, Vol. 83, No. 6

Ion Channels in Small Cells and Subcellular Structures Can Be Studied with a Smart Patch-Clamp System

Julia Gorelik,^* Yuchun Gu,^* Hilmar A. Spohr,^* Andrew I. Shevchuk,^* Max J. Lab, Sian E. Harding, Christopher R. W. Edwards, Michael Whitaker, Guy W. J. Moss,^§ David C. H. Benton,^§ Daniel Sánchez,^¶ Alberto Darszon,^¶ Igor Vodyanoy, David Klenerman,^** and Yuri E. Korchev^*

 ^*Division of Medicine and  National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom;  Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom;  ^§Department of Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom;  ^¶Department of Development Genetics and Molecular Physiology, Institute of Biotechnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico;  Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia USA; and  ^**Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom

We have developed a scanning patch-clamp technique that facilitates single-channel recording from small cells and submicron cellular structures that are inaccessible by conventional methods. The scanning patch-clamp technique combines scanning ion conductance microscopy and patch-clamp recording through a single glass nanopipette probe. In this method the nanopipette is first scanned over a cell surface, using current feedback, to obtain a high-resolution topographic image. This same pipette is then used to make the patch-clamp recording. Because image information is obtained via the patch electrode it can be used to position the pipette onto a cell with nanometer precision. The utility of this technique is demonstrated by obtaining ion channel recordings from the top of epithelial microvilli and openings of cardiomyocyte T-tubules. Furthermore, for the first time we have demonstrated that it is possible to record ion channels from very small cells, such as sperm cells, under physiological conditions as well as record from cellular microstructures such as submicron neuronal processes.

Biophys J, December 2002, p. 3296-3303, Vol. 83, No. 6
© 2002 by the Biophysical Society   0006-3495/02/12/3296/08  $2.00

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