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Related Concept Videos

The Resting Membrane Potential01:21

The Resting Membrane Potential

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Resting Membrane Potential01:24

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The relative difference in electrical charge, or voltage, between the inside and the outside of a cell membrane, is called the membrane potential. It is generated by differences in permeability of the membrane to various ions and the concentrations of these ions across the membrane.
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Membrane electrodes, also known as p-ion electrodes, use membranes that selectively interact with free analyte ions, generating a potential difference across the membrane. The resulting membrane potential, known as the asymmetry potential, is not zero even when analyte concentrations on both sides of the membrane are equal. The membrane's response is typically not selective to a single analyte but proportional to the concentration of all ions in the sample solution capable of interacting at...
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Resting Potential Decay01:15

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The resting membrane potential of a neuron (-70mV) is sustained due to the selective ion permeability of the membrane. At the resting potential, the membrane is slightly permeable to ions like sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl−) and highly permeable to potassium ions (K+). Differences in the ions' concentration inside the cell compared to the outside are maintained by membrane transport proteins like channels and pumps.
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Patch Clamp01:18

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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.
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Measuring Absolute Membrane Potential Across Space and Time.

Julia R Lazzari-Dean1, Anneliese M M Gest1, Evan W Miller1,2,3

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; email: jldean@berkeley.edu, evanwmiller@berkeley.edu.

Annual Review of Biophysics
|March 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Membrane potential (Vmem) is a crucial cellular signal. New optical sensing platforms offer improved absolute Vmem quantification, enabling broader biological research beyond traditional electrode methods.

Keywords:
electrophysiologyfluorescencefluorescence lifetimemembrane potentialmicroscopyquantitative imaging

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Membrane potential (Vmem) is a fundamental biophysical signal in all cells, influencing diverse processes like neurotransmitter release and cell cycle control.
  • Vmem signals exhibit wide temporal (milliseconds to days) and spatial (microns to centimeters) ranges.
  • Current Vmem quantification tools have limitations in addressing the full spectrum of Vmem biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the diverse biology of membrane potential (Vmem).
  • To outline desired features for an ideal Vmem sensing platform.
  • To critically evaluate existing electrode-based and optical Vmem interrogation technologies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on Vmem biology and sensing technologies.
  • Analysis of electrode-based strategies for Vmem quantification.
  • Analysis of optical strategies for Vmem detection.

Main Results:

  • Electrode-based methods offer excellent Vmem quantification but are limited to short-term, cellular recordings.
  • Optical methods provide broader sample access but typically only detect relative Vmem changes.
  • Recent advances in optical Vmem sensing enable absolute quantification, overcoming previous limitations.

Conclusions:

  • Combining strengths of electrode and optical Vmem sensing is key.
  • Advances in optical quantification of absolute Vmem unlock new avenues for Vmem biology research.
  • Development of versatile Vmem sensing platforms is crucial for understanding cellular function across diverse biological contexts.