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Related Experiment Videos

A simple, inexpensive method for teaching how membrane potentials are generated.

W M Moran1, J Denton, K Wilson

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas 72035-0001, USA. Mmoran@mail.UCA.EDU

The American Journal of Physiology
|January 22, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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This lab exercise demonstrates how membrane potentials (Vm) form in animal cells using a simple dialysis membrane. It shows how ion gradients, like potassium, generate electrical potentials across cell membranes.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Cell membranes generate electrical potentials crucial for cellular function.
  • Understanding membrane potentials requires knowledge of ion gradients and membrane permeability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a simple, inexpensive laboratory exercise for illustrating membrane potential generation.
  • To teach students about the Nernst equation and ion permeability.
  • To demonstrate the relationship between ion concentration gradients and membrane potential magnitude.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a dialysis membrane (MWCO=100) in an Ussing-like chamber to simulate a cell membrane.
  • Establishing potassium (K+) concentration gradients across the membrane to mimic intracellular and extracellular conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Measuring membrane potential (Vm) changes in response to varying K+ concentrations.

    • Main Results:

    • Outward K+ gradients generated a negative Vm, with a slope of approximately -45 mV/decade change in [K+]c.
    • A less-than-Nernstian slope indicated slight membrane permeability to the counterion, phosphate (H2PO4-).
    • Calculated permeability ratios (PK/PH2PO4) demonstrated that zero counterion permeability is required for a purely Nernstian slope.

    Conclusions:

    • The laboratory exercise effectively models membrane potential generation in animal cells.
    • The experiment highlights the importance of ion gradients and relative permeabilities in determining Vm.
    • Students gain practical experience in applying the Nernst equation and understanding membrane capacitance.