Functional Evaluation of Ion Channel Variants
Creative Bioarray provides clients with the ability to assess the functional consequences of ion channel mutations or variants associated with channelopathies by combining highly efficient electroporation for heterologous expression of recombinant ion channels with automated planar patch clamp recording, a strategy that has the advantage of determining the function of ion channel variants with higher throughput than conventional patch clamp recording.
Introduction
Mutations in genes encoding ion channels are associated with a variety of monogenic diseases with different clinical manifestations, collectively referred to as "channelopathies". These mutations usually lead to a variety of diseases by affecting the heart, skeletal muscle, central and peripheral nervous systems. The use of extensive clinical genetic testing and next-generation sequencing in genetic research has resulted in an explosive growth of information on ion channel variants associated with disease traits.
Experimental paradigms for determining the functional properties of ion channel gene mutations have been established previously, however these approaches have been challenged at the scale of the problem. Although patch-clamp recordings have greatly advanced the study of ion channel function and pharmacology over the past few decades, this technique has limited throughput and is extremely time and labor intensive. In recent years, the development of novel automated and high-throughput platforms for performing patch clamp recording has brought new tools to study ion channel biology and investigate channelopathies.
Fig. 1 Manual and planar patch clamp methodologies. (Bell, 2018)
Our Services
Creative Bioarray has accumulated a great deal of success in utilizing high-throughput automated electrophysiology platforms to determine the functional consequences of ion channel variants associated with arrhythmias, epilepsy, and other channelopathies. Our research team has established workflows of automated patch-clamp recordings and optimized heterologous expression to provide clients with an assessment of the function of ion channel variants. We highlight the use of highly efficient allogeneic cell electroporation in the development of strategies, which avoids the need for engineering stable cell lines, coupled with automated gigaseal planar patch-clamping in a 384-well format. Our services are suitable for a variety of research, such as studying the function of variants in the human cardiac potassium channel gene KCNQ1 (Kv7.1), and studying the function and/or pharmacology of other heterologously expressed potassium channels (Kv7.2, Kv2.1, Kir2.1, KCNT1) and voltage-gated sodium channels. Our services include:
- High-efficiency electroporation of heterologous cells and optimization.
- Automated patch clamp recording of ion channel variants and optimization.
- Data analysis.
Advantages
- Advanced laboratory equipment and highly qualified technicians
- Standardization of experimental operation and procedures
- Professional technical support
Creative Bioarray provides clients with professional solutions for the functional evaluation of ion channel variants. We are committed to providing customized solutions to meet each client's unique needs. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details.
Reference
- Bell, D. C.; Dallas, M. L. Using automated patch clamp electrophysiology platforms in pain-related ion channel research: insights from industry and academia. British journal of pharmacology, 2018, 175(12): 2312-2321.
