Automated functional analysis of ion channels and transporters

The Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia is funding this project as part of the ‘Fokus Forschung’ funding programme for universities of applied sciences – equipment. Transport proteins (ion channels and transporters) play an important role in almost all physiological processes in the human body. Malfunctions in the activity of transport proteins, due to DNA variants or pathological changes, are involved in the development of major diseases such as high blood pressure, cystic fibrosis or cardiac arrhythmias. These proteins are therefore of great relevance to biomedical research and are important target structures for drugs and new active substances. As part of this project, an automated two-electrode voltage-clamp device was purchased to measure the activity of ion channels and transporters.

The apparatus is based on the so-called Xenopus oocyte expression system for measuring the activity of transport proteins. Xenopus oocytes are a globally established cellular model system and, due to their high translational capacity and low endogenous expression of transport proteins, are an excellent system for the expression and functional characterisation of ion channels and transporters. To this end, RNA encoding the transport protein to be characterised is introduced into the cells via microinjection. After an incubation period of a few days, the activity of the transport proteins produced by the cell can then be measured using electrophysiological recordings (Two-Electrode Voltage-Clamp). Using this equipment, previously unknown transport proteins can be characterised, the effects of DNA variants on the function of transport proteins can be investigated, structure-function analyses of transport proteins can be carried out, and new active substances can be developed and pharmacologically characterised.