Ion Channels as Sensing Elements-Investigations by Patch-Clamp Technique

Ion channels are transmembrane proteins. Their high recognition capability together with an intrinsic amplification effects makes them outstanding candidates as constituents of biosensors. The patch-clamp technique is an extremely powerful and versatile method for studying the functioning of ion channels reconstituted into biological or synthetic membranes. Two well characterized types of natural ion channels were studied, (i) the simple transmembrane protein gramicidin A and (ii) the rather complex ligand-gated nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.