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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 11: Posters: Single-Molecule Biophysics

BP 11.8: Poster

Monday, March 14, 2011, 17:15–20:00, P3

Permeation through nanochannels: Revealing fast kinetics — Kozhinjampara R. Mahendran, Pratik Raj Singh, Ulrich Kleinekathöfer, and •Mathias Winterhalter — Jacobs University Bremen, Campusring 1, D-28759 Bremen

The permeation of water soluble molecules across cell membranes is controlled by channel forming proteins and particularly the channel surface determines the selectivity. An adequate method to study properties of these channels is electrophysiology and in particular analysing the ion current fluctuation in the presence of permeating solutes provides information on possible interactions with the channel surface. Due to the limited time resolution, fast permeation events are not visible. Here we demonstrate that miniaturization of the lipid bilayer, varying the temperature or changing the solvent may enhance the resolution. Although electrophysiology is considered as a single molecule technique, it does not provide atomic resolution. Molecular details of solute permeation can be revealed by combining experiments and computer modelling.

K.R. Mahendran et al. J Phys. Condensed Matter 22 (2010) 454131; E. Hajjar et al. Biochemistry 49 (2010) 6928-35; I. Biro et al. Biophys J 98 (2010) 1830-9.