Local Electric Field Measurements of Voltage-Gated Ion Channels

With an advanced technology platform and a research team with deep professional knowledge, Creative Bioarray is committed to providing clients with measurement services for the local electric field of voltage-gated channels, providing valuable information for in-depth study of the role of electricity on the function of these channels.

Introduction

Electrical signals in the nervous system are generated by the activity of the membrane protein superfamily called voltage-gated ion channels, which respond to changes in membrane potential by moving voltage sensors in the electric field between cytoplasmic and extracellular solutions. These channels exist in a complex electrostatic environment established by the interaction of a variety of charged substances. Because electrostatics affects ion conduction and voltage sensitivity, it is necessary to measure the electrostatic field of voltage-gated ion channels.

Advances in protein electrostatics have provided abundant information for soluble proteins. However, these technologies have limited availability when applied to integrated membrane proteins. In addition, some experimental methods that provide direct electrostatic information, such as NMR and IR spectroscopy, are subject to many limitations, such as the inability to track the electrical changes coupled with fast gated conversion and the complexity of groups involved in electrostatic interactions. it is challenging and urgent to develop new techniques to achieve dynamic measurement of electric field changes within the channel.

Fig. 1 Structure and properties of cysteine-reactive electrochromic fluorophores. (Asamoah, 2003)

Our Services

Methods of site-specific electrostatic measurements are applicable to proteins of known structure or purified soluble proteins but not to functional membrane-bound proteins, we developed a fluorometric method to help our clients quantitatively measure the local field strength in different areas of voltage-gated channels. Our services include but not limited to:

• Local electric field measurement.
  We have successfully helped our clients realize the monitoring of local electric field changes in voltage-gated potassium channels. We developed a method to combine the new probe with cysteines in Shaker and track the optical changes caused by the field to record the in vivo electrostatic measurements.
• Analysis of the electric field profiles of voltage-gated channels in vivo and generation of electrostatic maps of these channels characterized by uniform electrical potential surfaces.
• Examination of the sensitivity of localized electric field to ion perturbations, such as extracellular hydrogen and calcium ion concentrations.
• Development of smaller cysteine-reactive electrochromic reagents to improve the precision of electrostatic profiles.

Applications

• Research on the role of electrical forces on voltage-gated channel function
• Voltage-sensitive research of ion channels
• Electric field gradient and mechanistic interpretation

Creative Bioarray has established a variety of technologies to provide clients with a wide range of scientific services in the field of ion channel research. We have the strength to help you realize the dynamic measurement of electric field changes in voltage-gated ion channels and submit detailed experimental reports. If you need our electric field measurement services, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Asamoah, O. K.; et al. A fluorometric approach to local electric field measurements in a voltage-gated ion channel. Neuron, 2003, 37(1): 85-98.