title: Open channel noise. VI. Analysis of amplitude histograms to determine rapid kinetic parameters.
abstract: Recently we reported that rapid fluctuations of ion currents flowing through open gramicidin A channels exceed the expected level of pure transport noise at low ion concentrations (Heinemann, S. H. and F. J. Sigworth. 1990. Biophys. J. 57:499-514). Based on comparisons with kinetic ion transport models we concluded that this excess noise is likely caused by current interruptions lasting approximately 1 microsecond. Here we introduce a method using the higher-order cumulants of the amplitude distribution to estimate the kinetics of channel closing events far below the actual time resolution of the recording system. Using this method on data recorded with 10 kHz bandwidth, estimates for gap time constants on the order of 1 microsecond were obtained, similar to the earlier predictions.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Abteilung Membranbiophysik, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Sigworth
mesh_terms: D002586:Cesium; D002712:Chlorides; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006096:Gramicidin / Q000737:chemistry*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D007473:Ion Channels; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D006096:Gramicidin; D002586:Cesium; C028019:cesium chloride