FIGURE 1.
Schematic overview of the currently available methods for studying gap junctions. The principle behind each method is shown schematically on the left with a radar graph on the right that summarizes its corresponding performance index (e.g., sensitivity, throughput, resolution) in arbitrary units ranging from 0 to 4. Further details are provided in the text. FRAP, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching; LAMP, local activation of a molecular fluorescent probe; PLE, porcine liver esterase; Pept2, peptide transporter 2; βALA, AMCA-labeled dipeptides β-Ala-Lys; ChIEF, an engineered version of a channelrhodopsin.