Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 20 September 1991:
Vol. 253. no. 5026, pp. 1405 - 1408
DOI: 10.1126/science.1910206
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Science, Vol 253, Issue 5026, 1405-1408
Copyright © 1991 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Atomic force microscopy and dissection of gap junctions

JH Hoh, R Lal, SA John, JP Revel, and MF Arnsdorf

Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasedena 91125.

An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to study the structure of isolated hepatic gap junctions in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The thickness of these gap junctions appears to be 14.4 nanometers, close to the dimensions reported by electron microscopy (EM). When an increasing force is applied to the microscope tip, the top membrane of the gap junction can be "dissected" away, leaving the extracellular domains of the bottom membrane exposed. When such "force dissection" is performed on samples both trypsinized and fixed with glutaraldehyde, the hexagonal array of gap junction hemichannels is revealed, with a center-to-center spacing of 9.1 nanometers.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Spore Coat Architecture of Clostridium novyi NT Spores.
M. Plomp, J. M. McCaffery, I. Cheong, X. Huang, C. Bettegowda, K. W. Kinzler, S. Zhou, B. Vogelstein, and A. J. Malkin (2007)
J. Bacteriol. 189, 6457-6468
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Nanomechanics of Hemichannel Conformations: CONNEXIN FLEXIBILITY UNDERLYING CHANNEL OPENING AND CLOSING.
F. Liu, F. T. Arce, S. Ramachandran, and R. Lal (2006)
J. Biol. Chem. 281, 23207-23217
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Calcium-dependent Open/Closed Conformations and Interfacial Energy Maps of Reconstituted Hemichannels.
J. Thimm, A. Mechler, H. Lin, S. Rhee, and R. Lal (2005)
J. Biol. Chem. 280, 10646-10654
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Watching the photosynthetic apparatus in native membranes.
S. Scheuring, J. N. Sturgis, V. Prima, A. Bernadac, D. Levy, and J.-L. Rigaud (2004)
PNAS 101, 11293-11297
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Use of Atomic Force Microscopy for the Observation of Corneal Epithelium Surface.
M. K. Tsilimbaris, E. Lesniewska, S. Lydataki, C. Le Grimellec, J. P. Goudonnet, and I. G. Pallikaris (2000)
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 41, 680-686
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Direct Probing of the Surface Ultrastructure and Molecular Interactions of Dormant and Germinating Spores of Phanerochaete chrysosporium.
Y. F. Dufrêne, C. J. P. Boonaert, P. A. Gerin, M. Asther, and P. G. Rouxhet (1999)
J. Bacteriol. 181, 5350-5354
   Abstract »    Full Text »
Probing Nanometer Structures with Atomic Force Microscopy.
Z. Shao (1999)
Physiology 14, 142-149
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Native Escherichia coli OmpF porin surfaces probed by atomic force microscopy.
F. Schabert, C Henn, and A Engel (1995)
Science 268, 92-94
   Abstract »    PDF »
Is the gap junction channel--the connexon--made of connexin or ductin?.
M. Finbow and J. Pitts (1993)
J. Cell Sci. 106, 463-471
   PDF »
Three-dimensional imaging of living neurons and glia with the atomic force microscope.
V Parpura, P. Haydon, and E Henderson (1993)
J. Cell Sci. 104, 427-432
   Abstract »    PDF »
From molecules to cells: imaging soft samples with the atomic force microscope.
M Radmacher, R. Tillamnn, M Fritz, and H. Gaub (1992)
Science 257, 1900-1905
   Abstract »    PDF »
Actin filament dynamics in living glial cells imaged by atomic force microscopy.
E Henderson, P. Haydon, and D. Sakaguchi (1992)
Science 257, 1944-1946
   Abstract »    PDF »
Reproducible Imaging and Dissection of Plasmid DNA Under Liquid with the Atomic Force Microscope.
H. G. Hansma, J. Vesenka, C. Siegerist, G. Kelderman, H. Morrett, R. L. Sinsheimer, V. Elings, C. Bustamante, and P. K. Hansma (1992)
Science 256, 1180-1184
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)