The membrane-destabilization properties of the recently-introduced endosomolytic CM18-Tat11 hybrid peptide (KWKLFKKIGAVLKVLTTG-YGRKKRRQRRR, residues 1-7 of cecropin-A, 2-12 of melittin, and 47-57 of HIV-1 Tat protein) are investigated in CHO-K1 cells by using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. CM18-Tat11, CM18, and Tat11 peptides are administered to the cell membrane wit...

The conventional patch-clamp technique requires well-trained experimenter. Few commercial automated patch-clamp systems, designed for drug development, are better suited for large-scale research then for standard electrophysiological experiments. Here we describe a state machine for automated recognition of recording states of the patch-clamp experiment. The principle of the state machine is ba...

We describe a preparation for obtaining patch-clamp recordings from identified embryonic spinal cord interneurons, motoneurons and sensory neurons in an in vivo zebrafish preparation. This preparation is used to study the spatial and temporal patterns of spontaneous and touch-evoked electrical activity during the initial development of circuitry in the spinal cord. The combination of these phys...

The use of a discontinuous single electrode voltage-clamp (dSEVC) offers an attractive alternative to the patch-clamp technique, since whole-cell measurements can be performed with a single sharp electrode. Comparison of current-voltage relations, however, revealed a weaker voltage dependence of channels measured with the dSEVC compared to patch clamp. The accuracy of the dSEVC was tested on Vi...

Upon ejaculation, mammalian spermatozoa have to undergo a sequence of physiological transformations within the female reproductive tract that will allow them to reach and fertilize the egg. These include initiation of motility, hyperactivation of motility and perhaps chemotaxis toward the egg, and culminate in the acrosome reaction that permits sperm to penetrate the protective vestments of the...

Patch clamping is a gold-standard electrophysiology technique that has the temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio capable of reporting single ion channel currents, as well as electrical activity of excitable single cells. Despite its usefulness and decades of development, the amplifiers required for patch clamping are expensive and bulky. This has limited the scalability and throughput o...