Ion-Channel Proteins

Ion-channel proteins, which act as a sort of circuit element, allowing the flow of ions in and out of cells, can now be scrutinized in a new way that exploits technology operative at the single-molecule level. Scientists from the Center for NanoScience (CeNS) at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich don't make electrical contact with cells in the customary way by pressing an electrolyte-filled glass micro-pipette against the cell membrane. Instead they allow individual cells to settle down onto a glass gasket covered with micron-sized pores, allowing the ion-channels to protrude out the bottom (see figure). This chip-based architecture, the researchers believe, will more easily facilitate an automated biotech-nanotech approach to ion-channel research, which in turn is important for understanding how cells exchange information in various nervous, cardiovascular, intestinal, and reproductive processes. (Fertig et al., Applied Physics Letters, 16 December 2002; contact Niels Fertig, niels.fertig@physik.uni-muenchen.de, 49-89-599-6260.)