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Nuclear Electrophysiology: Experiment and Theory


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J.O. Bustamante
Nuclear Physiology Laboratory and the Nano-Biotechnology Group-UFS

This book will be published in July of 2008
Pre-publication price: $129.00
ISBN: TBA
Pub date: 2008-07-01

Table of contents

Historical background

  • The discovery of nuclear electrophysiology with microelectrodes
  • The rediscovery with the patch-clamp approach
  • Current status of nuclear electrophysiology

Structural considerations

  • Nuclear envelope: a billion year-old barrier
  • Nuclear pores: a billion year-old nano-channel and nano-machine
  • Voltage- and receptor-operated channels of the nuclear envelope

Functional considerations

  • Nuclear transport details of relevance to nuclear electrophysiology
  • Nuclear envelope cisternae: potential role in ion channel regulation
  • Transduction/transcription signaling mechanisms

Electrophysiological principles

  • Electrical circuits: the simple but powerful Ohm\'s Law
  • Two- and four-electrode approaches: From Hodgkin to Huxley to Neher and Sakmann
  • Microelectrodes: practical and theoretical considerations
  • Patch-clamp: practical and theoretical considerations
  • Hour-Glass and Other Techniques: practical and theoretical considerations

Experimental preparations

  • In cell nuclei
  • Cell-free nuclei
  • Contamination with endoplasmic reticulum
  • Physiological solutions

Experimental protocols

  • Direct measurement of single channel conductance
  • Indirect measurment of single channel conductance
  • Statistical profiling of single channel structure and function
  • Testing for macromolecular transport capacity
  • Testing for single channle selectivity
  • Testing for signaling mechanisms

Theoretical considerations

  • Correlating electrical, optical and atomic force measurements
  • Calculating the errors of measurements
  • Current models of nuclear pore function

Relevance to other fields

  • Medicine: nuclear transfer cloning and other high tech applications
  • Biotechnology: molecular Coulter counter, sequencing
  • Nanotechnology: Designing future nano-channels and nano-machines