Dr R M Henderson Structure and function of biological macromolecules examined using the atomic force microscope and patch-clamp electrophysiology Work in this laboratory involves the use of several techniques to investigate the properties of ion channels, transporters, other membrane proteins and nucleic acids at the molecular level and with reference to cell proliferation.
Techniques used include atomic force microscopy and patch-clamp electrophysiology.
The AFM is an instrument that allows construction of three-dimensional images of biological structures at considerably higher resolution than can be obtained using the electron microscope. Changes in the structure of molecules in response to physiological stimuli can thus be observed as they occur. For these reasons the use of AFM in biology is a rapidly expanding field. We are currently applying molecular biological techniques to produce cloned and purified membrane proteins and use the AFM to investigate their interactions and to examine structures of proteins known to be involved in membrane fusion and exocytosis. We are engaged in very active collaborative work with Dr David Dryden of the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Edinburgh to image protein interactions with DNA, and the structural modifications of DNA that these interactions produce, occurring in real-time.