Biophysics Cell Membrane Probe

描述（由申请人提供）：要求生物物理细胞膜探针（BCMProbe）用于扩展活细胞膜的生物物理研究。BCMProbe由集成电生理膜片钳模块的光镊和驻波显微镜组成。BCMProbe是一种新颖、独特的仪器，可用于调节膜力学以及电场的大小。同时可以测量膜所产生的力和膜电流。主要用户将利用该仪器进一步研究纳米级膜管中的膜电力学和肌动蛋白捆绑，测量与细胞变形相关的电荷运动，并研究整体膜蛋白的自我关联和迁移性。我们将能够扩展我们之前的工作，证明细胞膜能够在声波频率下将电能直接转换为机械能。此外，我们将增加我们对默克尔细胞（一种表皮机械感觉细胞）机械转导的理解。BCMProbe将是贝勒医学院的一种新仪器，其设计基于10多年来构建先前模型的经验。新仪器将通过超分辨率显微镜、电光偏转器和完整的系统集成来增强。该设计是模块化的，因此可以很容易地适应各种用户特定的实验，如钙成像、光漂白后的荧光恢复或荧光共振能量转移。我们的用户在膜生物物理学和感官系统机械转导的光学方法方面拥有广泛的专业知识。这项工作的意义将超越听觉和体感系统，因为它将揭示基本的膜机制。这些机制对理解膜运输甚至学习和记忆都有意义。虽然这种仪器的明显受益者将是听力障碍和触觉障碍患者，但毫无疑问，其他临床问题的解决方案也将出现，因为每个细胞及其细胞器都被膜包裹着。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A Biophysics Cell Membrane Probe (BCMProbe) is requested to expand biophysical studies on the membranes of living cells. The BCMProbe consists of optical tweezers integrated with an electrophysiology patch-clamp module and a standing wave microscope. The BCMProbe is a novel, unique instrument that can be used to modulate membrane mechanics as well as the magnitude of the electric field across it. At the same time it can measure the force produced by the membrane and the membrane current. Major users will exploit the instrument to further examine membrane electromechanics and actin bundling in nanoscale membrane tubes, measure charge movement associated with cell deformation and examine the self association as well as the mobility of integral membrane proteins. We will be able to expand our previous work that has demonstrated cell membranes capable of converting electrical energy directly into mechanical energy at acoustic frequencies. In addition we will to increase our understanding of mechanotransduction in Merkel cells, an epidermal mechano-sensory cell. The BCMProbe will be a new instrument at Baylor College of Medicine and its design is based on over 10 years of experience gained in constructing a previous model. The new instrument will be enhanced by super-resolution microscopy, electro-optic deflectors and complete system integration. The design is modular so that a variety of user specific experiments such as calcium imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching or fluorescence resonance energy transfer may be easily accommodated. Our users have extensive expertise in optical approaches to membrane biophysics and mechanotransduction in sensory systems. The work will have implications beyond the hearing and somatosensory systems as it will reveal fundamental membrane mechanisms. These mechanisms have implications for understanding membrane transport and even learning and memory. While the obvious beneficiaries of the instrument will be the hard of hearing and individuals with touch disorders, solutions for other clinical problems will undoubtedly arise because every cell and the organelles within are enclosed by a membrane.