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. 1994 Jul 5;91(14):6629–6633. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.14.6629

Two-photon scanning photochemical microscopy: mapping ligand-gated ion channel distributions.

W Denk 1
PMCID: PMC44256  PMID: 7517555

Abstract

The locations and densities of ionotropic membrane receptors, which are responsible for receiving synaptic transmission throughout the nervous system, are of prime importance in understanding the function of neural circuits. It is shown that the highly localized liberation of "caged" neurotransmitters by two-photon absorption-mediated photoactivation can be used in conjunction with recording the induced whole-cell current to determine the distribution of ligand-gated ion channels. The technique is potentially sensitive enough to detect individual channels with diffraction-limited spatial resolution. Images of the distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on cultured BC3H1 cells were obtained using a photoactivatable precursor of the nicotinic agonist carbamoylcholine.

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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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