It is now over 30 years since the idea of ion-conducting pores burst on the elec trophysiological scene, 15 years since these were generalIy realized to be mem brane-spanning proteins, and 10 years since the first observations of single ion channels from higher organisms were made. During the past 5 years, several integral membrane channel proteins have been purified in a functionalIy competent state: the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, the Na + channel, mitochondrial "VDAC," and a variety of porins. The stage is thus set to attack ion channels in the same ways that biochemists have been attacking enzymes for decades: isolation folIowed by functional analysis in as simple a system as possible, with a view towards understanding the molecular mechanisms ofthe protein's behavior and how this is related to the underlying molecular structure. This is always a daunting task, alI the more so with ion channels because of our still primitive and scanty understanding of channel structures and because of the difficulty in iso lating functionally active channel proteins. In this volume, which can be considered a biochemically slanted companion to Sakmann and Neher's Single-Channel Recording, I have tried to present a view of the current landscape of ion-channel reconstitution. These chapters illustrate not only the different approaches and techniques of the major practitioners of ion channel reconstitution but, as importantly, the varied motivations for doing this kind of work.

The lipid bilayer is the most basic structural element of cell membranes. A wide range of topics are covered in this volume, from the origin of the lipid bilayer concept, to current applications and experimental techniques. Each chapter in this volume is self-contained and describes a group's research, providing detailed methodology and key references useful for researchers. Lipid bilayer research is of great interest to many because of it's interdisciplinary nature.·Provides an overview of decades of research on the lipid bilayer·38 contributed chapters, by leading scientists, cover a wide range of topics in one authoritative volume·Book coincides with 40th anniversary of BLM

This volume and its companion, Volume 339, supplement Volumes 176, 177, 239, and 261. Chapters are written with a "hands-on" perspective. That is, practical applications with critical evaluations of methodologies and experimental considerations needed to design, execute, and interpret NMR experiments pertinent to biological molecules.

Piezo Channels, Volume 79, the latest volume in the Current Topics in Membranes series provides the necessary membrane research to assist readers in discovering the current state of a particular field and future directions. New chapters in the updated volume include A Tour de Force: The Discovery, Properties, and Function of Piezo Channels, Piezo1 Channels in Vascular Development and the Sensing of Shear Stress, the Origin of the Force: The Force-From-Lipids Principle Applied to Piezo Channels, Genetic Diseases of PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 Dysfunction, and The Structural Basis for Sensing by the Piezo1 Protein. Users of this series will find an up-to-date presentation of the current knowledge in the field of Piezo Channels. - Written by leading experts in the field - Contains original material, both textual and illustrative, that make it a very relevant reference - Presented in a very comprehensive manner - Ideal reference for both researchers in the field and general readers who will find this book to be relevant and up-to-date

Ion channels are membrane proteins that act as gated pathways for the movement of ions across cell membranes. They play essential roles in the physiology of all cells. In recent years, an ever-increasing number of human and animal diseases have been found to result from defects in ion channel function. Most of these diseases arise from mutations in the genes encoding ion channel proteins, and they are now referred to as the channelopathies. Ion Channels and Disease provides an informative and up-to-date account of our present understanding of ion channels and the molecular basis of ion channel diseases. It includes a basic introduction to the relevant aspects of molecular biology and biophysics and a brief description of the principal methods used to study channelopathies. For each channel, the relationship between its molecular structure and its functional properties is discussed and ways in which genetic mutations produce the disease phenotype are considered. This book is intended for research workers and clinicians, as well as graduates and advanced undergraduates. The text is clear and lively and assumes little knowledge, yet it takes the reader to frontiers of what is currently known about this most exciting and medically important area of physiology. - Introduces the relevant aspects of molecular biology and biophysics - Describes the principal methods used to study channelopathies - Considers single classes of ion channels with summaries of the physiological role, subunit composition, molecular structure and chromosomal location, plus the relationship between channel structure and function - Looks at those diseases associated with defective channel structures and regulation, including mutations affecting channel function and to what extent this change in channel function can account for the clinical phenotype

Ion channel drug discovery is a rapidly evolving field fuelled by recent, but significant, advances in our understanding of ion channel function combined with enabling technologies such as automated electrophysiology. The resurgent interest in this target class by both pharmaceutical and academic scientists was clearly highlighted by the over-subscribed RSC/BPS 'Ion Channels as Therapeutic Targets' symposium in February 2009. This book builds on the platform created by that meeting, covering themes including advances in screening technology, ion channel structure and modelling and up-to-date case histories of the discovery of modulators of a range of channels, both voltage-gated and non-voltage-gated channels. The editors have built an extensive network of contacts in the field through their first-hand scientific experience, collaborations and conference participation and the organisation of the meeting at Novartis, Horsham, increased the network enabling the editors to draw on the experience of eminent researchers in the field. Interest and investment in ion channel modulation in both industrial and academic settings continues to grow as new therapeutic opportunities are identified and realised for ion channel modulation. This book provides a reference text by covering a combination of recent advances in the field, from technological and medicinal chemistry perspectives, as well as providing an introduction to the new 'ion channel drug discoverer'. The book has contributions from highly respected academic researchers, industrial researchers at the cutting edge of drug discovery and experts in enabling technology. This combination provides a complete picture of the field of interest to a wide range of readers.

The Springer Handbook of Auditory Research presents a series of compreh- sive and synthetic reviews of the fundamental topics in modern auditory - search. The volumes are aimed at all individuals with interests in hearing research including advanced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical investigators. The volumes are intended to introduce new investigators to important aspects of hearing science and to help established investigators to better understand the fundamental theories and data in ?elds of hearing that they may not normally follow closely. Each volume presents a particular topic comprehensively, and each serves as a synthetic overview and guide to the literature. As such, the chapters present neither exhaustive data reviews nor original research that has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals. The volumes focus on topics that have developed a solid data and conceptual foundation rather than on those for which a literature is only beginning to develop. New research areas will be covered on a timely basis in the series as they begin to mature.