Introduction: Intracellular pH (pHi) regulates essentially all aspects of cellular activities. However, it is unknown how endoplasmic reticulum (ER) potassium channels sense pHi. In this study, we investigate the direct effects of pHi on ER potassium channels. Methods: We used channel incorporation into the bilayer lipid membrane method. L-α-phosphatidylcholine, a membrane lipid, was extrac...

Amiodarone is a widely prescribed antiarrhythmic drug used to treat the most prevalent type of arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF). At therapeutic concentrations, amiodarone alters the function of many diverse membrane proteins, which results in complex therapeutic and toxicity profiles. Other antiarrhythmics, such as dronedarone, similarly alter the function of multiple membrane proteins, sug...

Many drugs and other xenobiotics may reach systemic concentrations where they interact not only with the proteins that are their therapeutic targets but also modify the physicochemical properties of the cell membrane, which may lead to altered function of many transmembrane proteins beyond the intended targets. These changes in bilayer properties may contribute to nonspecific, promiscuous chang...

The second messenger lipid PIP(3) (phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate) is generated by the lipid kinase PI3K (phosphoinositide-3-kinase) in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, where it regulates a broad array of cell processes by recruiting multiple signaling proteins containing PIP(3)-specific pleckstrin homology (PH) domains to the membrane surface. Despite the broad importance of...

Membrane traffic requires the generation of high-curvature lipid-bound transport carriers represented by tubules and vesicles. The mechanisms through which membranes are deformed has gained much recent attention. A major advance has been the demonstration that direct interactions between cytosolic proteins and lipid bilayers are important in the acquisition of membrane curvature. Rather than be...

Membranes of all cells contain a significant fraction of phospholipids arranged in a self-assembled bilayer. This lipid bilayer forms a robust barrier to ions, proteins and other molecules, and separates the inside of the cell from the outside (plasma membrane), or compartmentalizes the cells (mitochondria). Embedded in the lipid bilayers are a large variety of glycoproteins, globular proteins,...

The measurement of single poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) molecules interacting with individual bilayer lipid membrane-bound ion channels is presented. Measurements were performed within a polymer microfluidic system including an open-well bilayer lipid membrane formation site, integrated Ag/AgCl reference electrodes for on-chip electrical measurements, and multiple microchannels for independent io...

Phospholipid bilayer are the basic structural element of biological membranes. They separate the various cell compartments found in eukaryotic cells and form an outer barrier (cell membrane or plasma membrane) of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells separating the cytoplasm from the extra-cellular space. The composition of phospholipid bilayers varies with the cell type and function of the membrane...

Background: Defects in endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis are common occurrences in different diseases, such as diabetes, in which the function of endoplasmic reticulum is disrupted. It is now well established that ion channels of endoplasmic reticulum membrane have a critical role in endoplasmic reticulum luminal homeostasis. Our previous studies showed the presence of an ATP-sensitive cationic...

Synthetic transducers transport externally added metal ion cofactors across the lipid bilayer membrane of vesicles to trigger catalysis ester hydrolysis in inner compartment. Signal transduction activity is modulated by hydrazone formation.