Giant liposomes: a model system in which to obtain patch-clamp recordings of ionic channels

Cell-size, giant liposomes have been formed by submitting a mixture of asolectin lipid vesicles and native membranes from Torpedo, highly enriched in acetylcholine receptor (AcChR), to a partial dehydration/rehydration cycle [Criado, M., & Keller, B. U. (1987) FEBS Lett. 224, 172-176]. Giant liposomes can be prepared in bulk quantities, in the absence of potentially damaging detergents or organic solvents, and their formation is mediated by membrane fusion phenomena. In fact, fluorescence microscopy and freeze-fracture data indicate that protein and lipid components of the initial membranes and lipid vesicles are homogenously distributed in the resulting liposomes. Giant liposomes containing AcChR have been used as a model to evaluate whether this system can be used to monitor the activity of ionic channels by using high-resolution, patch-clamp techniques. Excised liposome patches in an "inside-out" configuration have been used in this work. We find that the most frequent pattern of electrical activity in response to the presence of acetylcholine in the patch pipet corresponds to a cation-specific channel exhibiting a dominant conductance level and a sublevel of approximately 78 and 25 pS, respectively. Such channel activity exhibits the pharmacological specificity, ion channel activation, ion selectivity, and desensitization properties expected from native Torpedo AcChR. Thus, it appears that the giant liposome technique offers a distinct advantage over other reconstitution procedures in that it provides a unique opportunity to undertake simultaneous biochemical, morphological, and electrophysiological studies of the incorporated ionic channel proteins.