ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the biochemical and biophysical techniques and the application to the study of isolated homogeneous channel proteins. It reviews results from the laboratory using reconstitution and spectroscopic methods. The chapter examines the results of other investigators using similar techniques, and forecast how the methodologies proves useful in helping to elucidate the unique properties of individual members of the growing gap junction gene family. The properties of a single class of gap junction channels requires the application of in vitro methods. Cell-to-cell communication occurs chiefly in gap junctions, specialized domains where neighboring cells' membranes come in close apposition. The junctions in turn are composed of paired multimeric membrane-spanning protein channels known as hemichannels or con-nexons. Ideally the incorporation of a membrane protein into liposomes proceed by a simple reproducible method, and results in high efficiency with final protein/lipid ratios approaching those found in the cell.
