Electrophysiology on the molecular way.
The development of the patch electrode by Neher and Sakmann (1976) has revolutionized electrophysiology. The technique not only provided the possibility to expand the electrophysiological studies to most cells, but brought electrophysiology to the molecular level: it is now possible to measure the electrical current through one single ionic channel. The happy marriage between electrophysiology and molecular biology has resulted in a structure-function analysis revealing the molecular substructures of the ionic channel responsible for the processes of permeation and selectivity of activation and inactivation and different types of block. In the future it may become possible to cure diseases by genetic manipulation and to design better drugs to treat disorders, based on the malfunction of ionic channels (e.g. cystic fibrosis, Parkinson, epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmias, ischemia, hypertension).
Carmeliet
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D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008832:Microchemistry / Q000379:methods; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D007473:Ion Channels; D015222:Sodium Channels