The patch-clamp technique is the gold-standard methodology for analysis of excitable cells. However, throughput of manual patch-clamp is slow, and high-throughput robotic patch-clamp, while helpful for applications like drug screening, has been primarily used to study channels and receptors expressed in heterologous systems. We introduce an approach for automated high-throughput patch-clamping that enhances analysis of excitable cells at the channel and cellular levels. This involves dissociating and isolating neurons from intact tissues and patch-clamping using a robotic instrument, followed by using an open-source Python script for analysis and filtration. As a proof of concept, we apply this approach to investigate the biophysical properties of voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, which are among the most diverse and complex neuronal cells. Our approach enables voltage- and current-clamp recordings in the same cell, allowing unbiased, fast, simultaneous, and head-to-head electrophysiological recordings from a wide range of freshly isolated neurons without requiring culturing on coverslips.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100385 | DOI Listing |
Biophys J
December 2024
Department of Pharmacology, Larner College of Medicine, Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA. Electronic address:
Amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide accumulation on blood vessels in the brain is a hallmark of neurodegeneration. While Aβ peptides constrict cerebral arteries and arterioles, their impact on capillaries is less understood. Aβ was recently shown to constrict brain capillaries through pericyte contraction, but whether-and if so how-Aβ affects endothelial cells (ECs) remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJCI Insight
December 2024
Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, United States of America.
African American (AA) women are disproportionally affected by obesity and hyperlipidemia, particularly in the setting of adverse social determinants of health (aSDoH) contributing to health disparities. Obesity, hyperlipidemia, and aSDoH appear to impair Natural Killer cells (NKs). As potential common underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, we sought to investigate common signaling pathways involved in NK dysfunction related to obesity and hyperlipidemia in AA women from under-resourced neighborhoods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Leukoc Biol
December 2024
Infectious and Immune Diseases Division, CHU de Québec Research Center, Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada.
Introduction: Granulocyte concentrates (GC) are leukocyte preparations enriched in neutrophils that can potentially save neutropenic patients from life-threatening, antimicrobial-resistant infections. The main challenge of GC transfusions is preserving the viability and antimicrobial activity of neutrophils beyond 24 h to reduce the logistical burden on collection centers and increase the availability of this cell therapy. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore extending the ex vivo viability and antimicrobial activity of GC neutrophils up to 72 h with a unique combination of the clinically-approved additives Plasma-Lyte, SAGM, AS-3 and Alburex.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Phys Lipids
December 2024
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; Research Institute Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), Madrid, Spain.
Pulmonary surfactant is a membranous complex that enables breathing dynamics at the respiratory surface. Extremely low values of surface tension are achieved at end-expiration thanks to a unique mixture of lipids and proteins. In particular, the hydrophobic surfactant proteins, specially the protein SP-B, are crucial for surfactant biophysical function, in order to provide the surfactant lipid matrix with the ability to form membranous multi-layered interfacial films that sustain optimal mechanical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
December 2024
Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, 85308 USA.
The goal of this study was to determine whether the influence of high-fat high-sugar diet (Western diet) on intestinal function and health was reversible. We measured transepithelial short circuit current (Isc), across freshly isolated segments of jejunum from male C57Bl/6J mice randomly assigned to one of the following groups for the study duration: high-fat high-sugar diet for 24-weeks (HFHS), HFHS diet for 12-weeks then switched to standard chow and water for a further 12 weeks (Std), and lean controls (standard chow and water for 24-weeks). At the completion of the study, segments of jejunum were frozen for western blot determination of key proteins involved in secretory and absorptive functions, as well as senescence.
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