Membrane physiology and biophysics in the next decade: an open balcony to multiple scenarios

Mario L Díaz

doi:10.3389/fphys.2010.00023

Abstract

No doubt the cell membrane represents the first evolutionary milestone in the construction of life. The basic structure of primitive membranes likely provided a rather simple barrier to isolate an intracellular compartment, where molecular “protobricks” started (assisted or not) to develop life, a process that lasted around a 1000 million years. However, membrane entities dramatically changed upon evolution of metazoans, paralleling the appearance of differentiated tissues and organs. In modern organisms, the differences in cell membrane composition reflect neatly these evolutionary changes: supporting specialized functions, and acquiring more and more molecular complexity as cells within tissues and organs became more and more specialized. Countless symphonies in animal cell life rely on plasma membrane composition and integrity, and examples of membrane adaptation to enable physiological adaptation to different physical environments are spectacular (Hazel and Williams, 1990).

Highlights

The development of high-resolution electrophysiological techniques in the 1980’s has opened a revolutionary window for the study and comprehension of ion channels, allowing the unprecedented real-time observation of single protein molecules in action
At the same time, the sophistication of molecular biology techniques allowed the cloning of the first ion channels, the voltage-dependent sodium channel and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, both from Torpedo californica (Numa, 1986)
The ClC family of ion channels shows an unusually broad variety of functional behaviors, as some members work as gated chloride channels and others as secondary chloride transporters, for instance ClC-4 and ClC-5 anion channels may be Cl-/H+-exchangers (Jentsch, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

The development of high-resolution electrophysiological techniques in the 1980’s has opened a revolutionary window for the study and comprehension of ion channels, allowing the unprecedented real-time observation of single protein molecules in action. At the same time, the sophistication of molecular biology techniques allowed the cloning of the first ion channels, the voltage-dependent sodium channel and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, both from Torpedo californica (Numa, 1986). Since our current understanding on how ion channels work and their contribution to physiological functions has increased enormously.

Results

Conclusion