SK
Susy C. Kohout
  • Faculty, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, USA
研究方向
  • Biochemistry, Biophysics, Cell Biology, Neuroscience
Voltage Clamp Fluorometry in Xenopus laevis Oocytes to Study the Voltage-sensing Phosphatase
电压钳荧光法研究非洲爪蟾卵母细胞中的电压感应磷酸酶
作者:Victoria C. Young, Vamseedhar Rayaprolu and Susy C. Kohout日期:02/20/2025,浏览量:314,Q&A: 0

Voltage clamp fluorometry (VCF) is a powerful technique in which the voltage of a cell’s membrane is clamped to control voltage-sensitive membrane proteins while simultaneously measuring fluorescent signals from a protein of interest. By combining fluorescence measurements with electrophysiology, VCF provides real-time measurement of a protein’s motions, which gives insight into its function. This protocol describes the use of VCF to study a membrane protein, the voltage-sensing phosphatase (VSP). VSP is a 3 and 5 phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) phosphatase coupled to a voltage sensing domain (VSD). The VSD of VSP is homologous to the VSD of ion channels, with four transmembrane helices (S1–S4). The S4 contains the gating charge arginine residues that sense the membrane’s electric field. Membrane depolarization moves the S4 into a state that activates the cytosolic phosphatase domain. To monitor the movement of S4, the environmentally sensitive fluorophore tetramethylrhodamine-6-maleimide (TMRM) is attached extracellularly to the S3-S4 loop. Using VCF, the resulting fluorescence signals from the S4 movement measure the kinetics of activation and repolarization, as well as the voltage dependence of the VSD. This protocol details the steps to express VSP in Xenopus laevis oocytes and then acquire and analyze the resulting VCF data. VCF is advantageous as it provides voltage control of VSP in a native membrane while quantitatively assessing the functional properties of the VSD.