Efthymios Oikonomou

Nov 29, 2024 | nature.com | Efthymios Oikonomou |Andreas Maier

AbstractThe patch-clamp technique allows us to eavesdrop the gating behavior of individual ion channels with unprecedented temporal resolution. The signals arise from conformational changes of the channel protein as it makes rapid transitions between conducting and non-conducting states. However, unambiguous analysis of single-channel datasets is challenging given the inadvertently low signal-to-noise ratio as well as signal distortions caused by low-pass filtering.

Feb 21, 2023 | cell.com | Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg |Thomas Gruber |Efthymios Oikonomou |Achanta Ravi Chandra

Single-channel patch-clamp recordings allow observing the action of a single protein complex in real time and hence the deduction of the underlying conformational changes in the ion channel protein. Commonly, recordings are modeled using hidden Markov chains, connecting open and closed states in the experimental data with protein conformations. The rates between states denote transition probabilities that could be modified by membrane voltage or ligand binding.