Whole Cell Voltage Clamp Technique. The technique is especially useful in the study of excitable cells such as neurons cardiomyocytes muscle fibers and pancreatic beta cells and can also be applied to the study of bacterial ion channels in specially prepared giant spheroplasts. A basic voltage clamp will iteratively measure the membrane potential and then change the membrane potential to a desired value by adding the necessary current.
Voltage Clamp Technique An Overview Sciencedirect Topics from www.sciencedirect.com
Whole cell voltage clamp of isolated heart cells has led to an explosion of information about ionic currents in the heart. A basic voltage clamp will iteratively measure the membrane potential and then change the membrane potential to a desired value by adding the necessary current. During whole cell voltage clamp the interior of the cell is exchanged by diffusion with the solution contained within the recording electrode.
The whole cell technique involves rupturing a patch of membrane with mild suction to provide low resistance electrical access allowing control of transmembrane voltage.
Patch clamping can be performed using the voltage clamp technique. If channels are regulated intracellularly their activity may decrease or wash out as second messengers e g camp or cofactors gtp atp etc are lost from the cell s interior. Find a cell to patch. This article briefly summarizes the use of this variant of the patch clamp technique in isolated cardiac myocytes with an emphasis on practical suggestions.
