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. 1995 May;68(5):1687–1693. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(95)80346-2

A look at membrane patches with a scanning force microscope.

J K Hörber 1, J Mosbacher 1, W Häberle 1, J P Ruppersberg 1, B Sakmann 1
PMCID: PMC1282072  PMID: 7612812

Abstract

We combined scanning force microscopy with patch-clamp techniques in the same experimental setup and obtained images of excised membrane patches spanning the tip of a glass pipette. These images indicate that cytoskeleton structures are still present in such membrane patches and form a strong connection between the membrane and the glass wall. This gives the membrane patch the appearance of a tent, stabilized by a scaffold of ropes. The lateral resolution of the images depends strongly on the observed structures and can reach values as low as 10 nm on the cytoskeleton elements of a (inside-out) patch. The observations suggest that measurements of membrane elasticity can be made, opening the way for further studies on mechanical properties of cell membranes.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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