title: Modulation of whole-cell currents in Plasmodium falciparum-infected human red blood cells by holding potential and serum.
abstract: Recent electrophysiological studies have identified novel ion channel activity in the host plasma membrane of Plasmodium falciparum-infected human red blood cells (RBCs). However, conflicting data have been published with regard to the characteristics of induced channel activity measured in the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. In an effort to establish the reasons for these discrepancies, we demonstrate here two factors that have been found to modulate whole-cell recordings in malaria-infected RBCs. Firstly, negative holding potentials reduced inward currents (i.e. at negative potentials), although this result was highly complex. Secondly, the addition of human serum increased outward currents (i.e. at positive potentials) by approximately 4-fold and inward currents by approximately 2-fold. These two effects may help to resolve the conflicting data in the literature, although further investigation is required to understand the underlying mechanisms and their physiological relevance in detail.
authors.affiliation: University Laboratory of Physiology, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK. henry.staines@physiol.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Staines
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: J Clive
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ellory
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egée
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lapaix
authors.forename: Gaëtan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Decherf
authors.forename: Serge L Y
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duranton
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Stephan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins