A closed-loop system for millisecond readout and control of membrane tension.

ABSTRACT: Characterizing the function of force-gated ion channels is essential for understanding their molecular mechanisms and how they are affected by disease-causing mutations, lipids, or small molecules. Pressure-clamp electrophysiology is a method that is established and widely used to characterize the mechanical sensitivity of force-gated ion channels. However, the physical stimulus many force-gated ion channels sense is not pressure but membrane tension. Here, we further develop the approach of combining patch-clamp electrophysiology with differential interference contrast microscopy into a system that controls membrane tension in real time. The system uses machine learning object detection for millisecond analysis of membrane curvature and control of pipette pressure to produce a closed-loop

SUBMITTER: Sindoni M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642066 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature