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Related Concept Videos

Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Patch Clamp01:18

Patch Clamp

Many fundamental cell functions such as muscle contraction and nerve transmission rely on the electrical signals produced by the movement of positively and negatively charged ions across the cell membrane. One competent method to record current flowing across the whole cell or single ion channel is the patch-clamp technique.
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Measurement of Ion Concentration in the Unstirred Boundary Layer with Open Patch-Clamp Pipette: Implications in Control of Ion Channels by Fluid Flow
05:42

Measurement of Ion Concentration in the Unstirred Boundary Layer with Open Patch-Clamp Pipette: Implications in Control of Ion Channels by Fluid Flow

Published on: January 7, 2019

A flow-activated chloride-selective membrane current in vascular endothelial cells.

A I Barakat1, E V Leaver, P A Pappone

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. abarakat@ucdavis.edu

Circulation Research
|October 26, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Laminar flow activates both potassium (K+) and chloride (Cl-) ion channels in endothelial cells, influencing vascular tone. The balance between these flow-activated currents determines the net change in cell membrane potential.

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Simultaneous Measurements of Intracellular Calcium and Membrane Potential in Freshly Isolated and Intact Mouse Cerebral Endothelium
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Simultaneous Measurements of Intracellular Calcium and Membrane Potential in Freshly Isolated and Intact Mouse Cerebral Endothelium

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Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress
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Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress

Published on: August 2, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Measurement of Ion Concentration in the Unstirred Boundary Layer with Open Patch-Clamp Pipette: Implications in Control of Ion Channels by Fluid Flow
05:42

Measurement of Ion Concentration in the Unstirred Boundary Layer with Open Patch-Clamp Pipette: Implications in Control of Ion Channels by Fluid Flow

Published on: January 7, 2019

Simultaneous Measurements of Intracellular Calcium and Membrane Potential in Freshly Isolated and Intact Mouse Cerebral Endothelium
09:45

Simultaneous Measurements of Intracellular Calcium and Membrane Potential in Freshly Isolated and Intact Mouse Cerebral Endothelium

Published on: January 20, 2019

Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress
07:17

Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress

Published on: August 2, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular physiology
  • Endothelial cell biology
  • Mechanotransduction

Background:

  • Shear stress from blood flow activates endothelial ion channels, a key early step in vascular tone regulation.
  • Understanding these responses is crucial for comprehending vascular health and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of laminar flow on endothelial cell membrane potential.
  • To identify the specific ion channels involved in the endothelial response to flow.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro study using human endothelial cells.
  • Fluorescent potentiometric dye measurements.
  • Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings.

Main Results:

  • Laminar flow induced an initial membrane hyperpolarization followed by depolarization.
  • A chloride (Cl-)-selective current, activated by flow, caused the depolarization.
  • Flow also activated a potassium (K+) current, leading to hyperpolarization.
  • The net membrane potential change resulted from the interplay of K+ and Cl- currents.
  • Cellular adaptation to flow (preconditioning) did not alter the membrane potential response.

Conclusions:

  • Endothelial cells possess distinct K+ and Cl- currents activated by laminar flow.
  • The balance of these ion currents regulates endothelial membrane potential under flow conditions.
  • These findings provide insight into the mechanotransduction pathways governing vascular tone.